CRIMSON ROSELLA

The Crimson Rosella averages 26 - 36 cm (10.4 - 14 ins) in length (including tail). The wings are typically 164 - 188 mm (6.5 - 7.5 ins) long.

Adult male:

The plumage is generally red. The cheeks are violet-blue. The nape, back and parts of secondaries are black with a broad red edging. The inner median wing-coverts are black. The bend of the wing, outer median wing-coverts and secondary coverts are blue. The secondaries, outer webs of base of primaries and under wing-coverts are blue. The upperside of the middle tail feathers are dark blue with a black base. The outer tail feathers are dark blue with a lighter edging and pale tips. The tail underside is pale bluish. The bill is horn-grey and they have narrow grey eye rigns. The irises are dark brown and the feet are grey.

The female is on average smaller and has a narrower bill. Her plumage has a greenish tinge to the upperside of the middle tail-feathers.

Immature birds:

The red plumage that can be seen on the adults is olive-green in young birds, except for the forehead, crown, upper cheek area, throat, parts of the upper breast, thighs and under tail-coverts. The inner median wing-coverts and outer secondary-coverts are dull olive-green. The under wing-coverts are dull blue. The upperside of the middle tail-feathers are dark olive-green with blue-black tips. The tail underside is pale grey-blue. The pale under-wing stripe is present. Young birds attain the adult coloration after their second molt - when they are about 12 to 16 months old. At that time they also become sexually mature.
Adults and juveniles show strikingly different coloration in south-eastern populations, with predominantly golden-olive body plumage on the juvenile.

Diet:
A good Rosella diet should consist of canary seed, a mixture of millets, sunflower and safflower. Most people will use a Cockatiel seed mix with added Canary seed.

Breeding:
Rosellas are easy to breed; they are robust, do not fear cold but need a dry shelter. The breeding season usually starts in March or April (in Australia from September through March). When courting the male will bow forward low on the perch while sounding out the mating calls. If approved the hen will do the same and they can often be seen feeding each other before mating.
The female typically lays 3 to 7 eggs that she incubates alone for about 19 - 21 days. During the incubation period she is fed by her mate. Established pairs can be prolific and may produce two to three clutches per season - especially if their young are pulled for handfeeding and they have plenty of food available. However, typically they raise one to two clutches per year.During the incubation period she is fed by her mate. After hatching chicks will leave the nest at about 6 weeks old.
Some breeders prefer to pull babies at 2-3 weeks old for handfeeding. This will allow parents to get started on another clutch. Handfed Rosellas can still be a bit flighty and care should be taken to ensure the wings stay clipped to avoid injury. The young will need daily attention to remain tame.

Housing:
Rosellas do best in an aviary setting or long flight cages as they are avid flyers. It is recommended that couples are kept alone in an aviary, and to even avoid keeping two couples in two contiguous aviaries - as they may be aggressive and get distracted from breeding. If this separation is not possible given the space and resources that you have, it is recommended to have the walls double wired with a separation of about 3 inches (75mm) or even place a solid wall between the neighbors. You also need to have available aviary space for the young birds as they should be separated as soon as they are fully independent of their parents.
Rosellas like to chew on wood therefore metal frames with strong wire / mesh is recommended.