Never thought of it that way, but they are certainly unique colorful birds with a striking green V on the chest that ends in the apes above or below (male?) the abdomen depending on their sex. Orangy-yellow outside the V makes it stand out in contrast and would have been popular during World War II in the U.S. or at #10 Downing Street. Although "Hi, baby" might not have been what Winston would want in vocalization.
Senegals are perhaps the most plentiful of the Poicephalus which came from Dakar in the past and might have to stay at home since the Wild Bird Conservation Act. However, the fierce yellow-eyed but generally quiet bird makes a gentle pet if hand-fed and worked with. We've had clutches of 3 and 4 every year since 1993, and in 1995, two clutches in spring and late fall, all from the same parents. At first we had them in bottom cages 2.5' square cages, then expanded to 4' and then back to 3', but always with the thru-the-cage box entrance in subdued light away from direct light. No bright lights for these birds, just regular window light. Another pair we had seemed weak and never had a clutch. The male died later.
In fact, the breeding pair STAYS in its box (a cockatiel box) all day, coming out only to munch pellets, eat and apple slice, corn, collard greens or a piece of millet spray and sip at the bottle ball. Wild honeysuckle in season and stems of Bayberry bush are favorites. In 1994, the first indication something was happening was a grainy, smelly dropping of the female. We switched them to breeder pellets right away. And on Jan. 30, the first egg pipped. Two others were a few days apart, and the 4th egg hatched 4 days after the 3rd.
One year, we had one we called E.T. because the grandchildren said he looked like him. He had only a mandible plate for a beak, one nostril and one eye socket smaller than the other. There was a dent in the skull on the side of the smaller eye. We wanted a beak prothesis, but the plate might not have held it. He ate flakes, pellets, anything anyone else did. We didn't know if the deformity was genetic or an accident. He said, "Hi Baby" in a nasal sort of way and was a super clown. Several years later, out baby-sitter fell in love with the buy and we thought she would give him the time he needed. He's still there. His brother was Jumpy. so named for his jumping back at the end of a run on his perch. He's a talker too, and we have him as a pet.
Usually when the male stays out of the box, it's time to pull the babies. We pull the babies generally at two weeks, band them, and occasionally leave a female for the parents to feed out. We DNA them as soon as they have blood we can collect in a sample. We feed with a 10cc syringe a prepared hand feeding formula (KT generally) until their crops were nominally full, 4 times a day.
We hung the 12x12x12" box on the top of the cage. The entrance is at the far side of the box, not center. The pair pulverize pine shavings before nesting. We've also had success from another's suggestion of placing a piece of newspaper covering the shavings in the box, and pinning a cuttlebone to the cage wire. They shred the paper and demolish the cuttlebone when they are ready for nesting. We strongly suspect that once they breed, they keep it up regardless of what is done. Our "turn on" nesting material include a box lined with dry cork. They pulverized that too, but it turned them on , perhaps reminiscent of a wild state their parents instilled.
They lay 2-4 eggs which hatch in about 27 days. We tap on the box and raise the slide to check on the birds. Adults leave the box right away (by past experience), and fly back, perhaps checking food and water availability on the way. The food dish is in a small wire cage attached to and outside the main cage. Senegals are reported to hatch other Poicephalus eggs, and even feed the chicks.
There is now a mutation with yellow pied on its back, recently publicized. Most African parrots raid farmers' crops, perhaps one of the reasons so many were shipped off to America. Our gain for a nice pet. Senegals as well as several other Poicephalus have Species Breeding Partnerships in BCA. (See the Partnership list at your Alliance Club.)
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