Linda Au who lives in Vancouver, Canada and specialises in breeding poicephalus parrots, mutation Green-cheeked conures and Parrotlets talked to Pauline James recently about one of her favourite species, the Red-bellied parrot, and shares her experiences of breeding, rearing and keeping this parrot as a companion bird.

The Red-bellied parrot, sometimes referred to the Orange-bellied (Poicephalus rufiventris) is a medium-sized African bird closely-related to the Senegal, Jardine’s, Brownhead and Meyer’s parrots. At 22-25cm (8½-10in) long, this parrot is slightly larger than a Senegal, but sports the same short stocky body, short tail and greyish-coloured head. Although this species is one of the least known of the poicephalus species, it is now becoming more widespread in captivity, and as its virtues are becoming better known, so it is being hailed by many keepers as, “The perfect medium-sized parrot.”

Read more in the magazine…