GOLDEN-MANTLED ROSELLA MUTATIONS

There are a variety of beautiful Golden Mantle Rosella Mutations including Pastel, Opaline (Firey), Cinnamon and Lutino. These mutations can be combined to produce further mutations such as Cinnamon-Lutino or by far the most striking Rubino which is a combination of Opaline and Lutino. Triple mutations such as Cinnamon-Rubino are also now being established.

GOLDEN-MANTLED ROSELLA

In the normal form of the Golden Mantle red covers the nape of the neck and extends to the upper breast. The cheek patches are white. Black feathers edged with golden yellow cover the back producing a pearling effect while the wing converts and tail are a bright blue. A green suffusion can be seen on the rump, abdomen and tail.
Hens are often slightly duller in color.
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.
Golden Mantles are about 12 inches (30cm) long.
Sexing young birds can prove difficult and DNA sexing may be the only way to know for sure at a young age. However birds at least 9 months old can be visually sexed. In mature Golden Mantle hens of the normal form you can see a white striping under the wing feathers but this does not hold true when dealing with all the Golden Mantle mutations.

ADELAIDE ROSELLA

The Adelaide Rosella is endemic to South Australia. This was thought to be a separate species, but is presently believed to have originated through interbreeding of the Crimson and Yellow Rosellas. Both of these still interbreed with the Adelaide Rosella where its range crosses theirs, and it exhibits variation in its plumage from dark orange-red in the south of its distribution to a pale orange-yellow in the north. Variants that are very close to the Yellow race are designated subadelaidae.
Although the ranges of the Crimson and Yellow forms overlap along the entirety of the Murray River, in this area they seem to prefer different habitats and do not interbreed.
The Adelaide Rosella averages 13.5 - 14.4 inches or 35 - 36 cm in length.
The plumage is generally pale to strong orange-red. The forehead, lores (the region between the eye and bill on the side of a bird's head) and crown are orange-red. The sides of head and nape (lower back of the neck) are orange-yellow. The cheeks are violet-blue. The abdomen and breast are yellow more or less strongly tinged orange-red. The bend of wing and outer median wing-coverts are bright blue. The upperside of the middle tail-feathers are dark violet-blue and with dark green base. The outer tail feathers are dark blue with bright blue edging and paler tips. The tail underside is pale bluish.
The bill is horn-colored-grey. They have narrow grey eye rings and the irises are dark brown. The feet are grey.
Females are on average smaller and often suffused more with orange. The pale wing-stripe is occasionally present. They have smaller and narrower bills.
The orange-red plumage of adults are olive-green in immatures except for the forehead, crown, upper cheek area, throat, parts of 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 middle tail-feathers are dark olive-green with blue-black tips. The tail underside is pale grey-blue. The pale 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.

PALE-HEADED ROSELLA

The natural habitat of pale-headed rosella is southeast part of Australia , that is from York Peninsula to northern New South Wales . There are two subspecies of Pale-headed rosella, Platycercus Adscitus Palliceps and Platycercus Adscitus Odseitus, which lives in the York Peninsula . Both subspecies are similar to the pale-headed rosella by the color of the feathers, but they are smaller. In the wild these rosella nests From February to June. They live on eucalyptus and fruit trees and on the blossoms of the genus “melaleuce” trees.
Their favorite haunts are wide savannahs, were they forage for a variety of seeds and insects. However they are not unfamiliar with cultivated fruit plantations, sunflower and maize fields, which is a big problem for farmers. There are two mutations of pale-headed rosella, white and pastel.
Adult rosella are about 30cm long. They have yellowish white head, white crop and blue breasts. Tail is in the under part bright red in its root, while out sided tail feathers are black blue and green. Feathers on the back are similar to scales and colored in blue and black. The nape is dark yellow orange, the legs are grey and the claws are black. The beak is pale grey almost white with darker end. Adults, mature pale-headed rosella are almost identical, however female has less pronounced pattern, smaller head, and in the under part of the wings show a bold pale band. The sexes are easier to distinguish when the birds are still young, because in their early age males are bigger and have wider beaks.
About fifteen years ago, European aviculturists marked the Pale-headed rosella as a rare bird. Since than, this species became highly popular among parrot lovers and commonly bred parrot in many aviaries.
Their diet should consist of various seeds like sunflower, canary seed, proso, oat, hemp, sorghum, corn and bright seed. Vitamins and minerals should also be included in every day diet. They enjoy eating apples, carrots spinach, cucumber, leaves of dandelion, parsley sprigs with leaves etc.
When the mating period begins, the male starts feeding the female, and the female starts visiting the nest. Mating occurs in early morning hours or late in the evening. After the mating, female lays 3 to 6 white eggs sized around 22mm. The incubation lasts for about 22 to 24 days. Females of the Pale-headed Rosella like to lay eggs in deep nest box, because those kind of nests are grit shelters from boring males and can provide peace they need. Rosella can sometimes rear two broods in a year. Youngsters mature very slow, so the best time for them to leave the nest is 32 to 35 days after hatching , and still they stay with their parents for one more next month. After that they start their own lives independently. Color of the feathers is different in youngsters. Youngsters have olive-russet head feathers. Breasts, back and tail have mix of dull colors. They assume their adult coloration after 12 to 15 months, that is after the second molt. In the same time they become sexually mature.
Having in mind the size of 33 cm, Pale-headed Rosella needs adequate, roomy cage if it is kept as a pet. The cage should be in a non-draughty place. Its optimum time for adapting to the new environment, new faces and voices, is one month. It should be fed once a day with fresh food and a mix of the seeds mentioned above, enriched with vitamins and minerals. In the molting period that lasts from April to September, the bird must get Vitacraft's food for molting and granules of iodine. All rosella species have quiet and nice song, they are not loud. Number of words that they can learn to imitate is limited. One more thing, once your rosella gets out of the cage, soon she will be on your shoulder, head or table. This bird is very friendly and curious and needs company. Don't make sudden moves, be gentle with her and you will have loyal and devoting feathery friend for a very long time.

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.

YELLOW ROSELLA

The yellow rosella is a very close relative of the crimson rosella. It is similar in size, makes similar sounds but has a much more restricted range in Australia. It occupies riparian habitats (particularly the Murray-Murrumbidgee river systems in southwestern New South Wales) in the interior of southeaster Australia. It is believed that the Adelaide rosella is a natural hybrid between the yellow rosella and the crimson rosella. This belief is based on the fact that the contact areas between yellow rosella and crimson rosella distributions are populated with Adelaide rosellas. In fact, many Adelaides sold in the US are produced by breeding a yellow rosella to a Crimson.
Yellow rosellas are one of the largest of the rosellas and can be fed a seed mixture that would normally be fed to something like a conure or Pionus. They are very aggressive and breeding pairs must be kept separate from other birds, especially other rosellas. Adult birds do not usually nest until they're second year. In southern California this species normally nests in May and June. They usually lay 4-6 eggs; one every other day until laying is complete. Eggs are incubated for about 20 days before hatching. I've never had a yellow rosella pair fledge more than one group of babies. However, if the first clutch of eggs is infertile (or you pull them to foster under another pair), the pair will often lay a second clutch. Yellow rosellas are one of the most difficult rosellas to breed, but once you put together a compatible pair they reliably produce year after year. Yellow rosellas are not as flighty as other rosella species, but they do not make good pets.

NORTHERN ROSELLA

The Northern rosella is commonly referred to as Brown's Rosella, in tribute to the man who first described the species in 1820 (Brown Kuhl). In Australia the Northern rosella is found in the very northern region from the Kimberley division of Western Australia to the Northern Territory-Queensland border. This species is also found among the larger offshore islands of this area. Northern rosellas are the smallest of the white-cheeked group of rosellas. The black and yellow coloration of this rosella is very striking and unusual, in my view it is the most beautiful of all the rosellas. This rosella is scarce in the wild and those who see it are lucky! They feed on seeds, fruit, berries, blossoms and insects.
This is the most difficult rosella to breed in captivity. Once a compatible pair is obtained they will often produce two and sometimes three clutches in a season. They have the unusual habit of breeding during the winter in the US (the Austral summer), often going to nest as early as December and as late as April. Adult birds do not usually nest until they're second year. Some aviculturists believe this species requires more protein than other rosellas and therefore offer them live mealworms. We really don't know if this is true, but we do feed our pairs a pelletized diet to insure good nutrition. Northern rosellas often produce more males than females, so females are very hard to find as singles (and will demand a higher price).