Parrots’ development stages are the same for all species. The shorter the species’ average lifespan, the more rapidly they’ll progress through each stage of the parrot life cycle.
Usually, large parrots live longer than small parrots. A short-lived budgerigar will experience each stage of development faster than a long-lived member of the cockatoo family.
The age at which parrots reach sexual maturity ranges from 6 months to 7 years. If this weren’t the case, short-lived parrots wouldn’t reproduce sufficiently to sustain the species, resulting in extinction.
Parrot Growth And Development Stages
Here are the different stages of the parrot life cycle:
Embryo
Parrots are oviparous animals, meaning they lay eggs and don’t give birth to live young.
If a female parrot breeds with a male, she’ll lay a clutch of fertile eggs. The eggs have embryos, which must survive the gestation period. The eggs take 18 to 28 days to hatch.
The larger the parrot, the longer the incubation period. Embryos are vulnerable during the different egg development stages, so not all eggs will survive and grow into hatchlings.
According to Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, parrot embryos need oxygen inside an egg. The shell contains thousands of microscopic spores that allow access to air.
Early in the embryo’s development, it grows an allantois, a sac that fuses to a membrane called the chorion. Together, these create the chorioallantoic membrane, which attaches to the rim of the inner shell.
This enables the embryo to breathe, taking in oxygen through the spores. To maintain the optimal humidity level (about 55%), apply some heated water to the eggs, ideally using an atomizer.
Hatchling (Neonate)
Once the beak has developed inside the egg, it should be strong enough to peck its way out and hatch. This usually takes about 24 hours. Parrots are altricial, meaning they’re born blind, deaf, and bald.
Neonates are dependent on their mothers for survival. If the parents don’t look after their young, humans must fulfill this role. As the hatchlings lack feathers, temperature regulation is crucial.
Until hatchling parrots develop pin feathers, consider housing them in a nesting box with a heat lamp.
A temperature of around 90°F will be required, dropping closer to 65–68°F as the hatchling develops. Humidity is also important, so keep this at 50–70%.
The mother will feed her young through regurgitation. If you’re responsible for feeding the hatchlings, use a syringe to provide moistened food every 2–3 hours.
Nestling
Once hatchlings are more independent, they’ll become nestlings (chicks). Chicks remain with their parents in the nest because they can’t yet fly, hence the term “nestling.”
Nestlings have yet to grow feathers. They may have a few tufts covering different parts of the body, but they’ll still need help staying warm. The chick’s eyes will open after about 2 weeks.
Parrot chicks will wean, growing less reliant on hand-feeding or regurgitation from their parents.
Fledgling
The fledgling has grown feathers and is ready to learn how to fly. This usually occurs after 3 weeks for a small parrot and 3 months for a large parrot.
Parrots’ feathers start as pin feathers (blood feathers), which resemble thin tubes protruding from their skin. Pin feathers are pink, contain blood, and have a white keratin coating for protection.
Avoid touching pin feathers as they’re tender and easily broken. Young parrots can be moody and nippy, while the pin feathers grow as they cause discomfort.
After a few days, the keratin casing on the pin feathers will break away, and primary and secondary feathers will sprout in their place. These are the feathers a parrot needs for flight.
A fledgling parrot will also have more leg strength, displaying independence and curiosity. A parrot may start climbing the bars of its cage, utilizing its beak (called beaking).
Wildlife Management monitored the behavior of 68 wild lilac-crowned parrots over 7 years, discovering that 73% survived to juvenile status. Wild parrots are most at risk in the first 5 weeks of fledgling.
Juvenile
The juvenile stage is when the parrot has fledged and learned to fly but has yet to enter adolescence.
Juvenile parrots have feathers that may not be the same color as those in adulthood. Often, juvenile parrots’ feathers are duller than those of adults.
The length of the juvenile stage depends on the bird. Small parrots won’t be juveniles for more than a few months, while large parrots will remain juveniles for several years.
The juvenile stage is the ideal time to embrace training, as it’ll be more receptive to new information.
Adolescent
Adolescence is often called the “bluffing phase” in a parrot’s life and should be considered avian puberty. During this phase, a parrot experiences a hormonal surge that affects its behavior and demeanor.
When a parrot is bluffing, it’ll likely act with hostility when you approach its cage. The bluffing stage commences in the first 12 months of the parrot’s life but passes within a few months.
Adult
Most of a parrot’s life will be spent as an adult. Parrots are considered adults upon reaching sexual maturity. Expect a parrot to reach adulthood approximately 10% into its life.
Using this logic, a budgie or lovebird will be an adult within 1 year of hatching, while a macaw, Amazon, or African gray may take 4-7 years to reach adulthood.
Senior
As the Journal of Evolutionary Biology explains, parrots age slower than mammals due to their accelerated metabolic rate. Opinion is divided on when a parrot is considered senior.
No evidence has been recorded of parrots developing diseases like Alzheimer’s, so a bird’s cognitive faculties should remain consistent into its twilight years.
You may find that a parrot becomes less active as it ages, moving less and sleeping longer.
As organic keratin production slows, a parrot’s replacement of lost feathers will take longer as it ages. Parrots don’t have the GSK-3alpha gene that leads to the formation of amyloid plaques.
Parrots are fertile and capable of reproduction throughout their lives, but continuing beyond a certain point can have adverse health consequences.
