By Zane Findlay – April 2020

My father, Robert “Bob” Findlay, has kept Ringnecks since 1963. His first pair — a beautiful set of green birds — were handpicked from the nest of his future father-in-law’s pair. That pair bred at just one year old, sparking his lifelong passion for Asiatic parrots.

Early Years and the First African Ringnecks

The first pair of African Ringnecks that my father owned arrived in the late 1980s as part of a broader collection of parrots. To our knowledge, there have never been any naturally occurring mutations in the African Ringneck — possibly because they are less prolific breeders than their Indian counterparts, and fewer people have kept them over the years. Their rarity and limited availability have also contributed to this. It was once mentioned that a blue specimen may have existed in northern Africa (possibly Egypt), but this has never been proven or documented — at least not that we have seen.

Introducing Colour – The Transmutation Project

In 1997, my father began introducing colour into the African species. This process is known as transmutation, a term long used in aviculture — for instance, in breeding Lovebirds. Similar practices were recorded as far back as the 1940s through 1960s in species such as Alexandrines, Plumheads, and Slaty-headed Parakeets. While some deny its legitimacy, others have documented it extensively.

He began the project with a Grey cock and a Blue hen — not the ideal starting pair, but at the time the cost of sex-linked and recessive mutations (especially in cocks) made this a practical choice.

Challenges in Breeding

The African Ringneck is notably less domesticated and not as prolific as the Indian Ringneck. In our experience, they rarely breed before the age of four. They are also more selective when forming pairs, tending to bond for life rather than easily accepting new partners — a trait shared with species like the Blossom-headed and Plum-headed Parakeets we kept in earlier years.

Over more than two decades, we have successfully bred sex-linked, recessive, and dominant mutations into the African Ringneck species. We have carefully documented our approach, always prioritizing the retention of the species’ defining features — including their distinctive call or voice. After all, one could say humorously that Africans and Indians rarely speak the same dialect!

Species Overview

There are several Psittacula species worldwide, but here we focus on the two recognized African Ringneck subspecies.

1. Psittacula krameri krameri (Scopoli, 1769)

This is the first known Rose-ringed Parakeet, forming the basis for all subsequent Asiatic parakeet breeding worldwide.

Description: A bright green bird with a yellowish-green hue on the abdomen and underwings extending to the legs (‘socks’). The head is rounded with a distinctive three-coloured neck ring in males — black, salmon, and blue. The blue forms a soft wash extending toward the crown. Females and juveniles lack this coloration. A dark line runs from the cere to the eye, and the beak is blackish-red with a black tip. Tail feathers show blue with yellow tips, and the feet are grey with dark nails.

Length – 40cm (15in) | Wing 145–158mm (5–6in)
Distribution: Central Africa (north), Southern Mauritania, Senegal, Southern Sudan, Northern Uganda
Diet: Seeds (sunflower, millet, sorghum, maize, wheat), fruit, blossoms, nuts, berries, and vegetables.
Breeding: Typically from July to November. Pairs breed from 4 years or older, laying 3–5 eggs. They rarely produce a successful second round even when eggs are removed early.

2. Psittacula krameri parvirostris (Souancé, 1856)

According to external sources, this was the third of the Rose-ringed Parakeet subspecies described — following P. krameri krameri (1769) and P. manillensis (1800), and preceding P. borealis (1915).

Description: Similar to P. krameri krameri, but with greener facial tones and significantly less yellow on the abdomen and underwings. The head is smaller and less rounded, and the neck ring is more symmetrical, often resembling a small bib or cravat beneath the beak. The species’ name, parvirostris, means ‘small-beaked’ (parvus = small, rostris = billed). The beak is mainly red with a black tip, and the line from the cere to the eye is noticeably lighter. Tail feathers are darker blue with yellow tips, and feet are grey with dark nails.

Length – 40cm (15in) | Wing 148–160mm (5–6in)
Distribution: Sennar, Eastern Sudan, Northern Ethiopia, Abyssinia, and Northern Somalia
Diet: Similar to P. krameri krameri — seeds, fruit, nuts, blossoms, and vegetables.
Breeding: Typically from July to November, with clutches of 3–5 eggs. Birds breed from around 4 years old, and a second successful round is rare in captivity.