Shirley

[harleybaby]

Hi! I've never really looked into the Bourkes before but with all this talk I decided to check them out. I have fallen in love the rainbow and rubino ones:heart: They are beautiful, a little pricey wow! but very pretty. I read that they are very gentle and good aviary birds that rarely ever bite and can be kept with finches. I was wondering what your experience so far has been with them around other birds. Are these birds that really belong more in an aviary type setting where they can fly, I read they've got a couple different quirks about them How do you think they'd be around tiels? I'm just curious really more than anything. I'm just starting to look more into the finches and such so sorry about all the questions.:) Thanks Leah

[Shirley]

Hi Leah,

A friend of mine kept her Bourke's with her finches in an aviary, but eventually her finches picked on her Bourke's, so she moved her single Bourke's out. I have a male 'tiel, Tucker, in with three Bourke's and they do fine, BUT I put Tucker in with the Bourke's when he was 2 weeks past weaning. When I put him in as he was just weaned, they picked on him terribly so he was there only an hour. Now if I put anyone else in there, Tucker picks on the new bird for a few days, but not badly.

Bourke's hiss and chase on occasion, but don't bite to do harm.

They prefer being with other Bourke's or being alone.

They are a good aviary bird with other Australian Grass 'Keets, and ours are flighted and very, very tame. We get them out each evening and they fly all over the bedroom, using the ceiling fan as their "tree". Then they fly down to us and perch while we watch the news or read.

Unless your aviary is quite large, I wouldn't expect them to accommodate finches or vice versa as cohabitants.

They love to interact with us and the males have a pretty little song and strut/dance they do in the early hrs and evening hrs. They imitate simple whistles, also, that they hear humans whistle for them. Ours have never talked, but we have two that live with a friend in Florida, and hers say some simple phrases: Pretty baby, Pretty bird, Whatcha doin'. She has two of our male babies, now over a year old, and they are very close to one another and very closely bonded to her as well, living in her bedroom with her macaw and green cheek conure. She lets them free-fly daily when her macaw is on her tree stand in the living room.

She's in Seminole just S. of St. Pete... let me know if you can come up to Seminole in June... I might have a youngster I can bring down. We'll be there the 8th - 13th. I've not seen the colors you mentioned. Do you have a site link for those colors? Aren't you in S. Florida?

:wub:

[Shirley]

This is Annie's mother with our Bourke's all over her! The species is named after a man named Bourke, thus the apostrophe "s".

http://shirleymorgan.com/sjm/Liz-Bourkes118.jpg

[harleybaby]

They are beautiful!!!!!



This is a link with the rubino

http://www.inet-1.com/~wademan/otherbirds.html

a bunch of mutatiosn including the rubino, they are all beautiful
http://merga.net/mates/mmut.htm

I can't find the rainbow one I saw but it looks similiar to the lutino cross in the first picture. It was all pastel colors of yellow pink and blue


Thank you for sharing your babies!! They are so pretty!! and thank you for the offer I will keep it in mind.:D I bought a baby grey today, I'm waiting for him to be weaned so I'm a little birded out right now.:funny: Leah

[Shirley]

Those are beautiful!! Just showed Steve! Yep, very pricey!!!

Congratulations on your baby Grey!! What sex? How old? When might it come home? How wonderful!!! :dance:

[harleybaby]

Thank you Shirley!!!!!!!!!:emot-danc

[Jean]

Leah, I am excited to hear about your new baby grey. Can't wait to hear more about him. Pics too!!!