A comparison of sex steroid hormone excretion and metabolism by psittacine species
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1999)18:43.3.CO;2-4 The metabolism, excretory rates, and excretory patterns of carbon 14 (14C) radiolabeled estradiol (E2) and testosterone (T) were studied in female budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) and orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica). Radiolabeled E2 and T were injected intramuscularly into six budgerigars and two orange-winged Amazon parrots. Serial fecal/urine samples were collected for 168 h […]
Imitative pecking by budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus, over a 24 h delay
On video, budgerigars observed a conspecific demonstrator depressing a stopper by pecking or by stepping and then feeding from the box below. The observers were given access to the stopper, immediately after observation or following a 24 h delay, and we recorded the proportion of their stopper removal responses that were made by pecking and by […]
Effects of aviary and box sizes on body mass and behaviour of domesticated budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Forty-eight budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) were pairwise housed in small (80 × 40 × 50 cm) and large (160 × 40 × 50 cm) (length × breadth × height) boxes, as well as in 2.0 × 1.0 × 2.0 m aviaries. All boxes and aviaries had two or three (aviaries) perches and food was offered on […]
Visual pigments and oil droplets from six classes of photoreceptor in the retinas of birds
Microspectrophotometric examination of the retinal photoreceptors of the budgerigar (shell parakeet), Melopsittacus undulatus (Psittaciformes) and the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata (Passeriformes), demonstrate the presence of four, spectrally distinct classes of single cone that contain visualpigments absorbing maximally at about 565, 507, 430–445 and 360–380 nm. The three longer-wave cone classes contain coloured oildroplets acting as […]
Validation of a Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Assay to Assess Stress in the Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus)
The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a small parrot native to Australia that is commonly held in zoos, laboratories, and private homes. Assessment of budgerigar stress levels would aid welfare monitoring and improve our understanding of their biology. Analyzing fecal glucocorticoid metabolites provides a noninvasive method to measure stress levels in birds. For this method to […]
The effect providing space in excess of standards on the behaviour of budgerigars in aviaries
Budgerigars housed in conventional cages have no opportunity for some normal behaviours, in particular flight, and develop stereotyped behaviours. Increasingly aviaries are used for groups of budgerigars but the minimum space requirement to support normal behaviour is not known. We compared the behaviour of budgerigars in three aviaries, with 0, 28 and 56% increases in […]