Parakeet

Pennant parakeet

The sponsorship of the Pennant parakeet was dedicated to Reiner Fahrenberger out of gratitude by Prof Wolfgang Böhme.

The Pennant parakeet(Platycercus elegans) belongs to the family of true parrots and grows to around 36 cm. Its bright red plumage colouring and blue tail and wing tips are striking. It is native to the east and south-east of Australia.

The Pennant parakeet's habitat is moist coastal and mountain forests up to an altitude of around 1900 metres. However, they can also be found in parks and gardens in urban areas.
The Pennant parakeet's diet consists mainly of seeds, fruit and nuts. They also supplement their diet with various insects and their larvae, such as termites, beetles and caterpillars.
The breeding season is between August and February. The nest is a tree cavity, usually in a eucalyptus tree. The female lays between four and eight white eggs, which she incubates alone for around 19 days. During this time, the female is fed by the male. The young fledge after about 5 weeks.
Due to its ability to adapt to areas influenced by humans, the Pennant Parakeet is fortunately not endangered and can be found relatively frequently in South-East Australia. However, deforestation means that it is increasingly being displaced by other parrot species that are better adapted to open landscapes.