4,133 answers about birds
Parrots, budgies, cockatiels and finches each come with their own care questions — diet, cage setup, taming, noise and health. This page gathers the bird library of KinsLe Answers in one place, organized by topic so keepers can find a straight answer fast. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
380 answers in Feeding & Nutrition — page 5 of 16
A lineolated parakeet needs about one and a half to two tablespoons of food a day, made up of small pellets or a quality seed mix plus finely chopped vegetables and a little fruit. This calm, stocky little parakeet gains weight easily, so measure rather than free-feed and keep fatty seeds for training. Offer the food…
A kakariki needs about one to two tablespoons of a quality seed and pellet mix a day, plus a generous handful of leafy greens, vegetables, and a little fruit, much of it scattered on the enclosure floor. This restless New Zealand parakeet forages on the ground for hours, so spreading food widely matters as much as the…
A hill mynah needs roughly half a cup of low-iron softbill pellets a day, topped with a similar amount of chopped soft fruit, offered in two or three small servings rather than one large bowl. This fruit-eating softbill digests food quickly, so fresh items should be replaced before they ferment and live or prepared…
A Hahn's macaw needs roughly a quarter cup of small formulated pellets a day, plus two to three tablespoons of finely chopped vegetables and a little fruit, divided into morning and evening servings. This smallest macaw has a big species' appetite in a compact body, so offer one or two small nuts or a pinch of seed…
A blue-and-gold macaw typically needs about one to one and a quarter cups of formulated pellets a day, plus a generous bowl of chopped vegetables and some fruit, split between morning and evening meals. Add a few whole nuts in the shell as enrichment rather than a staple, and keep seed as a training treat because this…
A turquoise parrot's main everyday diet should be a measured mix of small-parrot pellets and a lean small-seed blend, with pellets carrying the nutritional weight and seed kept as the smaller share. Add daily leafy greens, sprouted seed, and seeding grasses, which suit this ground-feeding grass parrot, and offer fruit…
A star finch should be fed mainly on a fine finch seed mix of small millets and canary seed, with a formulated finch food worked in to cover what seed misses. This species thrives when green seeding grasses, sprouted seed, and a little live food or egg food are offered regularly, especially around moulting and…
A spice finch should live mainly on a small-seed finch mix of millets and canary seed, with a fine formulated food worked in so it is not relying on seed alone. Offer green seeding heads or sprouted seed, finely cut leafy greens, and a cuttlebone, and add a little egg food or a few tiny live foods when the bird is…
A society finch's everyday diet should centre on a quality finch seed mix of small millets and canary seed, supported by a fine formulated finch food or crushed pellet so the ration is not seed alone. Add a little egg food, finely chopped greens, and sprouted seed on rotation, and keep a cuttlebone available for…
A scarlet-chested parrot does best on a measured base of quality small-parrot pellets made up with a lean small-seed mix, rather than seed alone, because this grass parrot picks out fatty favourites and leaves the rest. Add daily leafy greens, sprouted seed, and seeding grasses, rotate the fresh items, and keep fruit…
Feed a ringneck dove a proper dove seed blend of millets, wheat, sorghum, small peas, and a little cracked corn as its main everyday diet — grains sized for a dove that swallows seed whole. Keep fine grit and a separate calcium source available at all times, because the gizzard cannot grind whole grain without grit.…
Feed a Java sparrow a finch seed blend anchored by millets and canary seed, ideally including paddy rice, as its main everyday diet. That seed base should be the constant; around it, rotate a daily pinch of chopped greens, keep a cuttlebone available, and use egg food only for moulting or breeding birds rather than as…
Feed a Gouldian finch a quality finch seed blend of mixed millets and canary seed, with a small amount of formulated finch crumble, as its main everyday diet. Add a daily pinch of chopped greens, and support moulting or breeding birds with egg food, since Gouldians have demanding feather cycles for such small finches.…
Feed a diamond dove a fine dove and finch seed blend of small millets, canary seed, and tiny grains as its main everyday diet, because its small bill cannot manage the coarse grains in standard dove mixes. The non-negotiable partner to that seed is fine grit in its own dish, since doves swallow seed whole and grind it…
Feed a Bourke's parrot a small grass-parakeet seed blend — millets, canary seed, and a little oat — as its main everyday diet, with a small side of fine pellet or crumble if it will eat it. Layer daily leafy greens and seeding grasses over that base, and keep fruit and any fatty seed to occasional, small offerings,…
A turquoise parrot should eat a fine grass-parakeet seed blend of millets, canary seed, and a little panicum every day, with daily leafy greens and seeding grass heads, and only tiny amounts of soft vegetables or fruit. These delicate Neophema parrots are light, active ground feeders, so fatty seed has no place in the…
A sulphur-crested cockatoo should eat formulated large-parrot pellets as the bulk of its daily diet, with a generous serving of vegetables — leafy greens, sweet potato, peppers, broccoli, and peas — and only a small, counted amount of seed and nuts worked for through foraging toys. Cockatoos of this size are prone to…
A red-rumped parrot should eat a small grass-parakeet seed blend based on millets, canary seed, and a little oat every day, with a small amount of fine pellet if accepted, plus daily greens such as endive, chickweed-style leafy greens, and seeding grass heads when clean and pesticide-free. These slender Australian…
A peach-faced lovebird should eat a base of small pellets every day with a limited measure of lovebird seed blend, plus a daily handful of chopped vegetables and leafy greens worked into a fine chop it can pick through. Lovebirds are energetic but tiny, and an all-seed bowl heavy in sunflower will unbalance the diet…
A Meyer's parrot should eat formulated pellets as the daily foundation, with a controlled amount of seed, a daily serving of vegetables rich in colour — sweet potato, carrot, peppers, and dark leafy greens — and a small piece of fruit. These compact African parrots gain weight easily for their size, so nuts belong in…
A lineolated parakeet should eat a measured base of small pellets every day, with a modest spoon of small seed, and a generous helping of chopped vegetables such as leafy greens, broccoli, and sweet potato. Linnies are calm, ground-leaning parakeets with a real talent for gaining weight, so keep sunflower and other…
A Java sparrow should eat a quality finch seed blend built on millets and canary seed, with a little paddy rice, every day, backed by a small amount of formulated finch crumble if your bird accepts it. Add a pinch of finely chopped leafy greens or grated carrot daily, and keep fresh water and a cuttlebone within…
A Jardine's parrot should eat a measured formulated pellet as the daily base, a substantial bowl of vegetables and leafy greens, a modest portion of fruit, and only a small, counted number of nuts and seeds as rewards, with fresh water always available. Jardine's parrots are solid, food-loving African parrots that…
A crimson rosella should eat a quality parakeet seed mix or suitable pellets daily, with a strong showing of leafy greens and native-style browsing material, vegetables, and modest amounts of fruit, plus fresh water at all times. Rosellas are active aviary birds that spend their day moving between ground seed and…
Can't find your question? Ask it here. We answer reader questions in KinsLe Answers — and we'll email you when yours is published.
KinsLe is launching soon — and the waitlist hears the date first. Join for launch updates and first access when the app opens.
We email you about the launch. Unsubscribe anytime.