Pale-headed rosella question

[birdwatch]

We've recently moved into a new estate, & now that most of the houses are complete, native birds are just starting to return. We have a pair of pale-headed rosella's who come to our bird-feeder every day, sometimes 6-7 times a day. One is slightly smaller than the other, & I have seen the bigger feed the smaller, although the smaller one does also have a go in the bird feeder afterwards. They're both quite bright colours, & I've not been able to see the stripe under their wings. I've read about the differences between male & female (I'm a complete novice at this so my chances of being able to sex these 2 is nil!), & Í'm wondering if it's possible that it's mother/father & baby? I can't find anywhere on the net that says how long the babies stay with the mother/father in the wild. The birds are similar size, although one is definitely bigger. On the net is says that the mother incubates the egg, & the father returns to feed her & later help care for the chicks. Is it possible this is the father teaching an older baby about independence, while the mother sits on another clutch? Could it be a male & female pair, even though they're almost identical to my eyes? Sorry I don't have a good photo - can't get close enough without them flying away!

[avinet]

By this time of the year Pale-head Rosellas have usually finished breeding in southern Queensland but may breed at any time of the year in north Queensland.
Therefore if you are in the south, their off-spring have probably dispersed so your two birds are likely a male/female pair with the male being the larger and probably slightly brighter one, although in general there is only a subtle difference between sexes. In the north of the state it would be possible for a youngster to be with a parent but since you say that both are bright it is far more likely that they are both adults, as the young are much duller in plumage than the adults.

The feeding of one by the other (male feeding his female) is most common before nesting, so that might indicate if you are in the north of the state and that they are about to do some breeding.

As a general note it would be helpful with questions such as this if an indication was given where the observations were made. Makes life easier to put a reply together.

cheers,

Mike

[birdwatch]

Thanks Mike, your reply was very helpful. We're actually in Brisbane, sorry I left out that detail! Do you know why the male feeds the female? I could understand why if she were somewhere else sitting on eggs, but they were both there in the bird feeder together when I saw them.
I've read that pale-headed rosellas like fruit. Does anyone know what kinds of fruit we'd have in our fridge that they'd like?

[avinet]

The male feeding his mate is part of the pair bonding, or courtship, that parrots often do. With some species such as the cockatoos there is mutual preening of each other, however the Rosellas very rarely preen each other. and so regurgitating food is another way they can reinforce that bonding.

Like most parrots Pale-head Rosellas pair up for life, however it doesn't do any harm to keep working on the relationship If one of the pair dies then the remaining bird will look for a new mate.

At this time of year it is very unlikely they are breeding - I see baby Pale-heads with their parents from late September onwards here on the Sunshine Coast, so that means eggs are being laid in early July. Sometimes a pair will have a second clutch, especially if the first is a failure, however I have never seen babies still being fed by their parents after the end of December.

Once the breeding is finished for the year the birds will have their annual moult, and by February that has finished, and the birds can spend a few months recovering form breeding and moulting before the breeding cycle begins again in the middle of the year.

cheers,

Mike