• They originate from N. Zealand (see 4th note below ▼) 

  • ~ the 2 main colours in the wild are the red-fronted 

  • and the yellow-fronted (smaller of the 2 and not as common).

  • "Orange-fronted" is a Hybrid version usually when a Yellow-fronted is mated with a Red-fronted.

  • A Club Member went on a Bird watching Trip in New Zealand and the Local Guide told him that the Red-fronted Kaki actually originated from Australia and the Yellow-fronted from New Zealand.
    

• The name just denotes the splash of red and/or yellow on the birds top-notch and forehead.  

• The rest of their bodies are an iridescent dark green with a diffusion of blues in the wing edges.
  

• In captivity you find lots of mutations inc. Buttercup yellow (dark eyes) & Cinnamon (red eyed)

• + many variations of Pied and many other colour variations on the theme.

SEXING

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DIET

• They feed on "Small parakeet mix"  
  

• Don't allow them to have too many sunflower seeds. 

  • (Sunflower seeds are really NOT healthy, in quantity, for any bird. 

  • - they all seem to love them a bit like kids love sweets and chocs 

  • - but they have a very high fat/oil content, which is not healthy).
    

• As per all parakeet types, they must have free access to Cuttlefish bone, Oystershell and mineralised grit
  (for digestion + calcium/mineral content) + Iodised mineral blocks.
  

• They LOVE just about ALL RED BERRIES  

  • i.e. Elderberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Hawthorn berries, Mountain Ash berries, Cotoneaster Berries,  Pomegranates, Oranges, Grapes etc.
    

• They also love :  

  • apples, celery, carrot, sweetcorn, brussel sprouts, Kiwi Fruits, cucumber 

  • (most fruit and veg in fact) 

  • + Eggfood, wholemeal bread and all the wild foods mentioned above. 
    

• They also love to chew Willow and Eucalyptus branches and leaves. 

• They are a delight to feed, as they seem to relish just about anything you give them.

• Unlike a lot of other parrot-like birds that can be picky & choosy. 
  

• MEALWORMS/shredded chicken are beneficial for extra Protein at Breeding Time.
  

• They can use their feet to hold their food to eat it - more like a parrot. 

• Thy also hold twigs in the their feet to chew on.

• They can be very wasteful with their food. 

• They use their feet to scatter seed out of their feed dishes until they find the seeds they want - usually the Sunflower!

• Kaki's have a quiet inoffensive call, are very friendly and rarely bite.

• They are very active most of the time and therefore are unsuitable as a Cage Bird as they really need a spacious Aviary.

• They are not as long-lived (8 - 10+ years) as a lot of other parakeets

• They definitely need Worming regularly as they spend a lot of their time scavenging on the Aviary Floor.
   

• (A personal observation is that when they really need worming they tend to look as if they have gone into a soft moult and look almost ragged feather-wise            CLICK picture > >
  - a good worming seems to sort them - but takes time - so prevention is better than cure!                                                                                                                                                     
  "Panomec" (Ivermectin-based) spot-on the back of the neck is my wormer of choice for this condition.                  

BREEDING

It's better to just have one pair per Aviary for breeding 

• but if they have been living en-colony prior to putting up the Nest boxes 

• and have ALL got on well or grown-up together. 

• you may be able to breed more than one pair per Aviary,  

• So long as the Aviary is spacious enough 

• You must have more nest boxes than pairs  

• and they are all the same height and design. 
  (see info. on Nestboxes)
   

• CLUTCH : They lay between 5 - 7+ eggs per clutch. 

  • Laying an egg every other day. 

• INCUBATION :  19 - 21 days 
  (may be slightly longer, if they haven't started to sit until after the first 2 - 3 eggs are laid.
  (25 days is not unheard of).

CLOSE RING :  approx: 11 - 13 days 

RING Size:  M  
 

• They can lay 2 - 4 clutches per year but really, if they have reared 2 good-sized clutches then the nest box should be removed once the 2nd clutch have fully fledged, to prevent them going to nest for a 3rd clutch.  

• Over-breeding is BAD for the hens' health. 
   

• They seem to want to breed at any and all times of the year  - esp thru the winter months!!

• - obviously, depending on how fit they are and the type of Aviary/ accommodation they are in.

• The Hen does all the incubating and the cockbird feeds her in the nest and often sits outside the nest box
  "on guard".

• Newly-hatched chicks have a covering of grey down. 

• This helps keep them warm if they hatch during cooler months. 

• Unlike a lot of other parakeet chicks (i.e. budgies)  that are "born" naked.

• The chicks can be seen, in the Nestbox, lying on their backs being fed by the hen.
   

• Chicks eyes tend to open approx 10 days.
   

• The Chicks seem slow to feather &  mature (approx 35+ days to feather-up) compared to smaller parakeets.

• They don't come out of the Nest box until well past 45 days.

• Once they have fledged, they often go back in and out of the Nest box again during both day and  night 

  • - unlike most other parakeets who, once they are out they stay out!
     

• They are a quiet inoffensive Breed, so they work well in a mixed Aviary.

• So long as there are no big bully parrot-like birds in the same Aviary.

• Lovebirds and Kakis tend not to mix well

• They also can be prone to Heart attacks  (Heart-racing syndrone) if put under severe stress. 

  • - see similar note on Bourkes Parakeets