The COLLARED PARROT (_Palæornis torquatus_) is elegantly formed and
strikingly coloured. The entire length of the male is from fourteen to
sixteen inches, ten of which must be allowed for the tail; the length of
wing is about six inches from the shoulder to the tip. The colour of the
plumage is generally a bright grass green, brightest on the top of the
head, palest underneath, and darkest on the wings: on both sides of the
throat, and about the cheeks, this colour changes to a delicate sky blue,
which is divided from the green of the neck by a dark blackish stripe on
the throat, and a splendid band of rose red feathers; the tips of the
tail-feathers are also sky blue, and the under part of the tail and wings
yellowish green. The beak is bright red, with a dark tip to the upper
mandible, the feet grey, the eye yellowish white. The young birds before
moulting may be distinguished from the old by their paler and uniform
light green colour.
The Rose-ringed Parrakeet is spread over the whole of Africa, and is
found from the western coast to the eastern borders of the Abyssinian
mountains, the wooded parts of which are especially favourable to its
mode of life and habits; it does not always seek the extensive unbroken
primitive forests, which cover the lower parts of the interior of
Africa, but is often seen in limited tracts of woodland, among the
thickly-foliaged evergreens, which afford a safe retreat during the
entire year. In Western Africa it is seen on the coast; in Northern
Africa we have found it as far southward as fifteen degrees north
latitude, but did not observe it in those parts of the mountainous
coast of Abyssinia through which we travelled, and only met with it
in the neighbourhood of monkeys; indeed, after repeated observations
we concluded that we could safely reckon upon always finding it where
monkeys were to be seen, and _vice versâ_. It would be difficult for
travellers through their haunts to overlook the Rose-ringed Parrakeets,
as they announce their presence by loud, discordant cries heard above
all the noises of the forest; their associated bands, after uniting and
thus increasing to large flocks, often take possession of some of the
thickly-leaved tamarind or other trees, and from these resting-places fly
daily across a greater or less tract of country. In the early morning
they are tolerably quiet, but soon after sunrise go forth screaming in
search of food, and the whole flock may then be seen flying hurriedly
over the woods. The African forests are comparatively poor in fruit, but
the plants that grow under their shadow are prolific in seeds of all
kinds, which entice the parrots to the ground; nevertheless, except when
the small round fruit of the bush known as "Christ's thorn" is ripe,
they seldom descend from the trees. It is probable that they will also
take animal food; at any rate, we have often observed them busy near
ant-hills and the dwellings of Termites. They are rarely seen in the
fields bordering on the woods of Central Africa, although tame birds
may be fed solely upon the Caffre millet and durrah, the corn of that
country; it would seem, however, that they prefer fruits and seeds to the
last-mentioned diet.
Until mid-day the flocks are busy satisfying their hunger, after which
they fly to seek water, and then rest for some hours among the branches,
chattering and screaming; but in spite of their noise they are difficult
to find, owing to their green colour, which is scarcely distinguishable
from the foliage; moreover, they are perfectly silent the instant that
they observe anything unusual, or creep stealthily and quietly away if
they fear pursuit. The longer you remain under a tree beneath the top of
which you have just heard hundreds of voices, the stiller and quieter
it becomes, until at last all is silent; one bird after the other has
noiselessly crept away to a distance, from whence a joyful cry tells that
their cunningly planned retreat is happily accomplished.
Towards evening they again assemble, and make (if that is possible) a
louder shrieking than before; for now the question is not only which is
the best branch to rest upon, but the safest sleeping-place. During the
spring time, when the woods are decked in magic beauty, the parrots
always sleep in holes in trees, but in the dry season they prefer the
foliage; leafless trees they consider dangerous.
Although these birds fly well, their movements on the ground are clumsy,
and even their climbing very awkward; their flight is extremely swift,
but seems fatiguing; it requires many quick strokes with the wings,
and changes into a hovering motion if the bird wishes to alight. Their
gait can scarcely be called a walk, but rather a waddle; the body is
swung forward, and the long tail carefully raised that it may not touch
the ground. A party of Parrakeets progressing in this manner provokes
involuntary laughter, as there is something most comically serious in
their movements.
The Rose-ringed Parrots breed during the African rainy season, which
comes with the spring; at which time the gigantic Adansonias are crowned
with their thickest foliage, and the numerous holes in their trunks
hidden in the most desirable manner; here the breeding birds settle
in parties, and after some strife about holes, the pairs live quietly
together. In those parts of Africa through which we travelled, Europeans
shoot these birds, but the natives never molest them with weapons,
and only capture them when they have an opportunity of disposing of
them alive. Notwithstanding the numbers in which they are found, it is
not very easy to procure a specimen, as their cunning deceives even a
practised sportsman, and renders his efforts fruitless. After some time,
however, we learned to turn their tricks to their own disadvantage; when
we found a party of them in the woods, one of us would creep to the
nearest and thickest tree, while another disturbed that they were on; the
consequence was that the parrots, as they tried to escape, generally fell
victims to the marksman who was watching their arrival.
The natives take the young unfledged birds out of the nest, or surprise
the old ones at night in their holes. They are extensively captured in
Senegal, and from thence come most of the Rose-ringed Parrakeets that
we see in captivity. During the time we spent in Africa, we had many of
these birds alive, but never succeeded in becoming very friendly with
them; we gave them as much freedom as possible, allowed them to fly about
a large room, fed them well, and hoped to retain the whole troop; but we
were sadly deceived in our expectations, for they fell murderously upon
each other, and the strong ones bit the weak to death; in most cases they
broke the skulls of their victims, and ate their brains, after the manner
of our Titmouse (_Parus_).
On the other hand, we must own that we have often seen bird-fanciers keep
dozens in small cages, and learnt, in answer to our questions, that they
lived together in the greatest harmony. Connoisseurs have told us that
with care they can be made very tame, and will show great affection for
their master, but rarely learn to speak, or only in the most imperfect
manner. Their plumage forms their greatest attraction.