Jardine parrots should be correctly called Jardine’s parrots and they are native to the region around Central Africa where they can be found inhabiting lowland forest areas.
Although there are more striking species of parrot, the Jardine’s parrot is considered by most to be one of the more beautiful African parrots.
They have vibrant green wings edged with a little black. They have a brownish/black coloring under their wings and their tail is also a brownish black color. The main part of their body is green with some yellow influence and they have a splash of red/orange on their heads although this is missing from younger birds and may actually turn a little yellow on more mature birds. Depending on the sub-species there may well also be some red coloration around the wings and leg feathers also.
The Jardine’s parrot is considered a medium size parrot growing to around 11 inches in length and has a life span of between 20-30 years depending upon its health, diet and environment.
Jardine’s are considered affectionate in nature but at the same time they are also spirited and lively so they will need some conscientious and thorough training most of the time to avoid them becoming badly behaved and ill-tempered and within the training it is widely recommended that the owner teaches their parrot to “step up”.
It is also recommended that within the training they are handled by more than just one person to avoid them becoming a one person bird who becomes aggressive if anybody else attempts to pick them up or play with them. A Jardine’s parrot can develop a nipping or biting habit if they are not carefully trained and looked after but this can be corrected easily with consistent handling, although it may well re-appear seasonally if the bird is mature.
Jardine’s parrots have a high intelligence and so require frequent interaction with their adopted human family.
They are acrobatic birds and enjoy learning new tricks. They are often seen running about and rolling around so are quite sturdy birds and although they fit in well with an average family environment they can have bad reactions to stress or a stressful environment, so it is good practice to move the bird around in its home environment to get comfortable in most places and also try and minimize your own stress when dealing with your parrot as they are highly intuitive and can pick up on subtle signs of stress and anxiety.
A key to avoiding behavioral problems is to keep them entertained and this can be helped by providing them with a variety of toys for their amusement. Jardine’s love playing with toys and it is important that you rotate their toys to avoid repetitiveness and boredom. The type of toy is important also and you should definitely provide some toys with wood or bark on them so that they can chew and gnaw on them to keep their beak in good condition.
Jardine’s have the ability to mimic and in fact their ability is close to that of their larger cousin the African Grey. They are also accomplished whistlers but generally they are not considered loud birds but parrot standards.
They have the ability to become impressive talkers but as with all parrots this comes down to the individual parrot as to if they talk and how much.
In their natural habitat they would live on a diet of fruits, seeds, some flowers and Olives. If kept as a pet, a Jardine’s parrot should be fed a balance of seeds, fruits, vegetables and pellets although care is needed when choosing the brand of pellet and seeds as the nutritional content must be carefully regulated to avoid many of the diet related illnesses the Jardine’s can suffer from.
A Jardine’s parrot will make an excellent pet for anyone looking for a parrot, as due to their size they can be housed in a wider variety of home than many of their larger cousins but also because of their engaging and comic personality which help create a unique and fulfilling bond between the two of you.
Source: Parrot Advice Guide
