By Lee Connor
I’m sure we all remember that famous part in Mary Poppins when the world’s favourite nanny suddenly pulls out (from a seemingly bottomless bag) a magical measuring tape and measures her two charges. First, holding it up against young Michael and getting the reading, ‘extremely stubborn and suspicious,’ and then putting it against the constantly giggling Jane and accurately predicting, ‘inclined to giggle and doesn’t put things away.’
The children then ask Mary to measure herself. She reluctantly agrees to do so and, then, rather smugly announces after reading once again from the magical measuring tape, that it quite clearly states she is indeed, ‘practically perfect in every way!’
Now, if birdkeepers could get hold of this magical measuring tape and were to hold it up against the Bourke’s Parakeet, I am sure we would get exactly the same reading, for the Bourke really is the practically perfect parakeet!