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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Carniverous Crimson Rosellas (1 Viewer)

bigbadja

Well-known member
I was feeding tiny mincemeat meatballs to the magpies and butcherbirds in the front garden recently.
A couple of Crimson Rosella parrots were hanging around showing great interest.
When the maggies and BB's flew away one of the Rosellas started fossicking around and found an oerlooked meatball. He adopted the usual feeding position of standing on 1 leg, and nibbled away holding the meat up in his other claw.
I had always assumed the Rosellas were seed eaters and was quite stunned by this apparant anomally.
Yesterday another 2 Rosellas joined him and after sniffing around they also fed on the meat. I now have quite a group waiting for the maggies and BB's to leave so they can get into the meat.
We are currently experiencing the worst drought in recorded history and times are tough for all the wildlife.
Was I just ignorant of the feeding habits of Rosellas, or are they modifying their feeding patterns.
Any comments
Robert
 
An interesting observation, Robert. I have no books on Australian birds, but I looked through my African ones, and the general consensus appears to be that Parrots and their allies are generally fruit, nut & seed eaters. Peterson's Mexican Birds confirms this, so you may have discovered something unknown to science ! If you can take notes of what they eat, how frequently, whether it is combined with other foods, and whether the practice continues at the end of the drought, I'm sure the data would be most useful.

Tony
 
Just had a look in HANZAB (Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds) Vol 4, and there seems to be a fair amount of incidence of crimson rosellas (and also eastern rosellas) munching on a range of insects.

One example is that of Christmas beetles - apparently the rosellas have been observed picking them off the underside of leaves, grasping with a foot and then removing the head and thorax from the abdomen (with beak) prior to devouring them.

This sounds reasonably similar to the behaviour that you've described, so perhaps it's something of an opportunisitic shift due to lack of food availability, or maybe just a general opportunism that is fairly representative of such a successful species.

Either way, an intriguing observation, and be interesting to see how it develops.

Cheers,
 
John Lovett
Forum Member

Registered: Nov 2002
Location: KL Norfolk
Posts: 3
Observations of Rosellas eating minced beef.
Parrots and Parrokeets are given chicken carcases (after cooking) and sometimes old bones in a raw state, when kept in aviaries for captive breeding. It has been recognised as a form of ocupational therapy and a means of giving animal protein.



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Sunday 8th December 2002 00:44
 
G-wiz

It would be nice to hear your own views on birding issues rather than you giving us a website address for another forum........
 
I'll try to photograph them later this afternoon, Donna and post the image asp.
Thanks for your interest.
Robert
 
The image you asked for Donna, has been posted to my gallery.
I snapped him a few minutes ago with the digcam.
The Crimson Rosella is quite young and has taught a few of his mates to join in on the mincemeat put out for the Butcherbirds.
 

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Oh, Robert, he's gorgeous!!! I just love your birds "down" there! You have so many brightly colored beauties. One of these days I'm going to have to go see them in person.

Thank you for the photo!
Donna
 
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