COVER STORY: PARROTS
IF YOU were looking for a young parrot as a companion and you were offered a very pretty, colourful bird, would you be brave enough to ask: “Well, what is it?” Don't think that this might show ignorance! Owing to the breeding of mutations, many birds bred these days have had their appearance altered so drastically that it is difficult to identify the species.
This is especially true where there are mutations in closely related species: in parrotlets (Forpus) and Pyrrhura conures, for example, and in species that are not normally sold as companions, such as Neophema grass parakeets.
Breeding mutations is the main interest of some specialist breeders. That is regrettable, as in some species – including peach-faced lovebirds, kakarikis and green-cheeked conures – the original wild-type colours, without the genes of any mutations, have become very
