Happy third birthday, Cocoa Bean!

     In preparation for welcoming Cocoa Bean to his new home, and in the hopes of making the transition easy as possible, I have been stocking up on bird toys. I have heard from countless sources that mustache parakeets are avid chewers, so the hope is to provide Cocoa with enough exciting toys to busy his beak, and keep it from ever needing to "inspect" my furniture.
     I have had my eye on the adorable little birdy piñata at my local bird store. It looks just like a miniature version of what you might see at a kid's birthday party, and it can be filled with your bird's favorite treats, such as dried fruit pieces or bird-safe nuts. 
     But bird 'parents' need not buy all their bird's toys. It is important that birds practice their foraging instincts. Owners can encourage birds to exercise this instinct by hiding treats in common household things such as toilet paper rolls, Dixie cups, or coffee filters. 

      Here's hoping Cocoa likes his little piñata when we celebrate his belated birthday in about a month!

     This is Cocoa Bean, the mustache parakeet. The Latin name for this species is Psittacula alexandri alexandri. Other common names for the mustache parakeet include "moustache parakeet," "red-breasted parakeet," and "Java parakeet." The Psittacula alexandri are asiatic parakeets, such as the Indian ringneck parakeet and the Alexandrine parakeet. As I mentioned, there isn't a lot of information on the mustache parakeets available online, so I will try to summarize a lot of what I have learned so far about this species here - beginning with the physical appearance. 
     The black marking between Cocoa Bean's eyes is his "mustache." You would think that this would be the most distinguishing feature of the species, but it seems that most people point to the bright pink chest as the signifier of a mustache parakeet.
     Of all the subspecies of the Psittacula alexandri, a few are dimorphic. In other words, the males and females can be distinguished based on a difference in appearance. (Note: for most parrot species, it is nearly impossible to determine the gender without a blood test.) A male mustache parakeet will develop a bright orange beak, while the female will retain the black beak that all mustache parakeets have before they mature.
     Other than the gray-blue head and black collar, the mustache parakeet has bright green feathers. The tail is long and thin - I've even heard it jokingly called a "rat tail." Mustache parakeets are a medium-sized bird, and definitely larger than what most people envision a parakeet to be.

     On a separate note, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them in a comment below. Of course, I am not a mustache parakeet expert, or really a bird expert at all by any means, so anything more than simple questions should be directed to an avian veterinarian. Please refrain from any negativity or crude language. Thank you so much!