Binomial name Bolborhynchus lineola
(Cassin, 1853)

The Barred Parakeet (Bolborhynchus lineola), also known as Lineolated Parakeet or Catherine Parakeet, is a parrot found in a large range across western Panama, southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, northern Colombia, Venezuela and the Andean mountains in Peru.

Description

The Barred Parakeet is mostly green and has black stripes (or bars). Males and females are generally similar, but males may sometimes have more marked black stripes than the female. They are roughly 6 inches (15 cm) in length, and they weigh about 47 to 55 grams.

Habitat

Their habitat is the forests and mountains up to 2000 m above sea level or so. They spend some of their time on the ground, but sleep high in the trees. They are tolerant to cold and have been seen taking snow baths.

Behavior

There are usually four to five eggs in a clutch, which hatch after about 18 days of incubation. Chicks leave the nest at about five weeks after hatching.

They are found in the wild in groups of 6 to 30 although bigger groups (up to 150 birds) are known. They eat fruit, dry seeds, germinated seeds and even insect larvae.

Oddly, they prefer to run and climb rather than fly.

Aviculture

Barred parakeets are popular as pets because of their quiet and even-tempered disposition, and also because many colour mutations are available. Blue, cobalt, turquoise, mauve, lutino, creamino, cinnamon, golden, pied, silver and violet birds are bred in aviculture. Their average lifespan is about 10 years, but individual birds have been known to live up to 15 years. They are talented mimics of human speech.

One of the most recognizable and entertaining characteristic of lineolated parakeets is that they enjoy bathing and being misted with water. Most parrots do, but lineolated parakeets have a more cured passion for water. They will hang upside down, flap and open their wings, and enjoy every moment of being bathed.