Sierra Parakeets as pets
The Sierra parakeet (Psilopsiagon aymara) also known as the Aymara parakeet or the Grey-hooded parakeet is a small species of parrot hailing from South America. Sierras live in the subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. They are related to Mountain parakeets.
Sierras are about 20 cm long and from my experience weigh around 32 – 35g although some literature says they weigh as much as 45g. This means that they are actually around the size of a large celestial parrotlet and have a similarly sized beak. They must be one of the smallest parrot species available in captivity that use their feet to hold objects and food. This is one of the things about them that makes them seem especially like a larger parrot made tiny.
There is no obvious visual difference between the sexes and dna sexing is required to be sure of telling males from females. I have noticed that once mature, the males tend to have a pale blue-green breast whereas the hens have grey breast feathers.
Sierras require very similar care to parrotlets (See parrotlet care information) and can be fed the same diet of a mixture of seeds, fruit and vegetables, possibly some pellets as well as calcium and vitamin supplements.
Here’s a good little article about keeping sierras as aviary birds http://www.splendids.co.uk/sierra.html
Sierras are about 20 cm long and from my experience weigh around 32 – 35g although some literature says they weigh as much as 45g. This means that they are actually around the size of a large celestial parrotlet and have a similarly sized beak. They must be one of the smallest parrot species available in captivity that use their feet to hold objects and food. This is one of the things about them that makes them seem especially like a larger parrot made tiny.
There is no obvious visual difference between the sexes and dna sexing is required to be sure of telling males from females. I have noticed that once mature, the males tend to have a pale blue-green breast whereas the hens have grey breast feathers.
Sierras require very similar care to parrotlets (See parrotlet care information) and can be fed the same diet of a mixture of seeds, fruit and vegetables, possibly some pellets as well as calcium and vitamin supplements.
Here’s a good little article about keeping sierras as aviary birds http://www.splendids.co.uk/sierra.html
Unlike parrotlets I have never heard of a sierra being kept as a lone bird and would advise against it. From what I’ve seen they get on quite well with other parrots of similar size so a sierra that was caged next to another small parrot (such as a parrotlet or a budgie) might be ok without another sierra. However the great thing about sierras is that they stay tame even if you have two caged together.
Sierra parakeets are very active birds so if kept indoors as pets, they require a large cage, at least 70cm (27 ½”) wide but the bigger the better. Cage bar spacing should be no more than ½” (1.3cm). If keeping them caged then they should be allowed out to fly for at least 3 hours a day. They are not generally very destructive birds and even if not potty trained (which I think they can be), their dropping are generally formed enough to wipe or vacuum up without too much problem.
Another sierra specific thing is that in the wild they sleep all year round either in holes in trees or in burrows in earth banks. This means that they like to have a nest box to sleep in. If you have a pair but want to discourage breeding then a box with only a narrow platform or a perch instead of a full floor would suffice to give them comfort but no space to lay eggs.
Sierra parakeets are very active birds so if kept indoors as pets, they require a large cage, at least 70cm (27 ½”) wide but the bigger the better. Cage bar spacing should be no more than ½” (1.3cm). If keeping them caged then they should be allowed out to fly for at least 3 hours a day. They are not generally very destructive birds and even if not potty trained (which I think they can be), their dropping are generally formed enough to wipe or vacuum up without too much problem.
Another sierra specific thing is that in the wild they sleep all year round either in holes in trees or in burrows in earth banks. This means that they like to have a nest box to sleep in. If you have a pair but want to discourage breeding then a box with only a narrow platform or a perch instead of a full floor would suffice to give them comfort but no space to lay eggs.
Now to the interesting part, how they actually are to keep as pets. I own four of them, two of which were originally aviary birds but have started to tame down quite well and will eat millet from my hand. My other two sierras were semi-tame youngsters when I got them and within a week were happy to sit on my hand.
Sierras are fantastic little parrots. They are not very loud, mostly making strange little peeping or honking noises, they are no louder than a budgie. They seem easy to tame as youngsters and stay tame as a pair. My two love to fly over to me and climb about playing with my hair or any zips or buttons on my clothes. They will also sometimes decide to perch on my shoulder and have a nap.
They seem to be quite intelligent and I have taught mine to fly to me and also to wave. They are also hilarious little characters. They rush about getting overexcited about the simplest things and scuttle about on the floor at impressive speeds.
The really great thing about them staying tame while in a pair, is that you can have two, leave them to go to work and not have to worry about them getting lonely while you’re gone!
I've kept three hen sierras together in a cage and they live together quite happily so unlike with celestial parrotlets, it seems to be safe to have all girls.
Sierras are fantastic little parrots. They are not very loud, mostly making strange little peeping or honking noises, they are no louder than a budgie. They seem easy to tame as youngsters and stay tame as a pair. My two love to fly over to me and climb about playing with my hair or any zips or buttons on my clothes. They will also sometimes decide to perch on my shoulder and have a nap.
They seem to be quite intelligent and I have taught mine to fly to me and also to wave. They are also hilarious little characters. They rush about getting overexcited about the simplest things and scuttle about on the floor at impressive speeds.
The really great thing about them staying tame while in a pair, is that you can have two, leave them to go to work and not have to worry about them getting lonely while you’re gone!
I've kept three hen sierras together in a cage and they live together quite happily so unlike with celestial parrotlets, it seems to be safe to have all girls.
Sierras are also very inquisitive and playful. Mine love toys that they can chew up and also little foot toys such as a bead knotted onto a thin leather thong or their absolute favourite which is pieces of cut up drinking straw!
It is possible to keep sierras in a colony as long as their cage or aviary is large enough. They also seem to sometimes get on quite well with similar species, as you can see in the picture. Interestingly though, my tame sierras don’t like my green parrotlets, only the yellow ones. The other two sierras just ignore the green parrotlets. I have seen videos on Youtube of sierras out and about with species such as bourkes and budgies so they seem to do well in homes with mixed small species.
In conclusion sierras are very charming little birds and well worth considering as a pet either in the home or as charmingly entertaining aviary birds.
It is possible to keep sierras in a colony as long as their cage or aviary is large enough. They also seem to sometimes get on quite well with similar species, as you can see in the picture. Interestingly though, my tame sierras don’t like my green parrotlets, only the yellow ones. The other two sierras just ignore the green parrotlets. I have seen videos on Youtube of sierras out and about with species such as bourkes and budgies so they seem to do well in homes with mixed small species.
In conclusion sierras are very charming little birds and well worth considering as a pet either in the home or as charmingly entertaining aviary birds.