I WILL NEVER forget the first time I saw a parrotlet. My husband and I were strolling the aisles of a bird show in Sacramento, California, when I spied two tiny green birds in a show cage. I didn’t know what they were, but I was determined to have a pair.

Asking around, I learned that these diminutive parrots were called parrotlets, which means “small parrot,” appropriately enough.

Well-fed parrotlets won't harm their babies, like this days-old yellow-face.

I was considered crazy to even consider raising them. But my mind was made up. After further research, I found a breeder and I went to his home to see his Pacific parrotlets.

The meeting was perfunctory. The man took one small bird out of the cage, extended its wings to show me the beautiful cobalt-blue markings, and said, “Here’s the male".

He returned that bird and brought out another, extended its wings to show lack of blue, and said, "Here’s the female".

I paid him $175 for the pair, he stuffed them into a paper bag, and I left. I had no idea how to cage my parrotlets, feed them or breed them.

I vowed that if I ever figured out how to care for these unique little parrots, I would do everything I could to help educate other people. After years of trial and error, here’s what I know.

Tiny gems
Though a close relative of the Amazon parrot, parrotlets are among the smallest parrots in the world. Some measure less than five inches long and weigh less than an ounce. They have streamlined, wedge-shaped tails, but large beaks for their size.

What they lack in size, parrotlets make up for in personality. Much like Amazons, parrotlets are extremely intelligent, acrobatic and personable--but they can also be moody and temperamental.

All parrotlets originate in Central America, South America or Mexico and are primarily green, with patches of yellow, gray and blue to differentiate the seven subspecies.

Parrotlets are dimorphic, meaning the males and females look different. Usually, only the males possess the striking blue feathers. That makes it easy to tell the sexes in a species apart.

However, one has to rely on size and other coloring to tell which species a female bird might be, since her markings are less dramatic.

Parrotlets vary widely in price, with color mutations of the Pacific parrotlet among the most expensive, ranging from $400 to a breathtaking $1000 apiece.

Ordinary Pacific parrotlets cost from $200 to $300, green-rumps go for $250 to $300 and spectacles are usually priced between $200 and $350 if you purchase from a pet store. Buying from a breeder can save about $100.

I don’t recommend keeping more than one pet parrotlet. A single pet that is a member of the family seems the happiest.

With multiple birds, one usually becomes dominant and can become jealous of or even aggressive toward the others. "Share" is not a word in the parrotlet vocabulary.

Nobody really knows how long parrotlets live. I have some of the oldest birds in the country, which were imported in the early 1980s as adults. You can probably expect to enjoy your parrotlet for up to 30 years with proper care.

The popular Pacific
The most widely kept species of parrotlet is the Pacific, or celestial (Forpus coelestis). Pacifics boast bright olive-green feathers and pink beaks and legs. As the name suggests, they originate from the Pacific Ocean side of the Andes, Western Ecuador and northwestern Peru.

Pacifics possess the feistiest, most outgoing personalities of any parrotlet. They can be very stubborn and strong-willed, quickly learning how to get the upper hand. However, with training they can be very affectionate and strongly bonded with their owners.

The male Pacific parrotlet, in foreground, sports blue wings, back and rump.

Pacifics are a medium-size parrotlet, measuring about 5 ½ inches and tipping the gram scale at about 28. Males have deep cobalt wings, backs, rumps and streaks behind each eye. Females are various shades of olive and green, with an emerald green eye streak.

Females in the Forpus coelestis lucida subspecies of Pacific parrotlet, found in Colombia, are unusual in the parrotlet world: they have blue rumps and eye streaks and, sometimes, light-blue wings.

Males of this subspecies have silver gray backs and wings as well an eye streak that completely encircles the back of the head.

Every color of the rainbow
Pacific parrotlets have been bred into many beautiful color mutations. Following is a quick summary of what’s available:

• Albino. Pure white with red eyes. Males and females look identical.
• White. Whitish blue with dark eyes. Males keep dark-blue markings, referred to as cobalt, or violet.
• Blue. Light sky blue with dark eyes. Males keep cobalt markings.
• Fallow. Light yellow with green and beige and red eyes. Males retain powder-blue markings.
• Blue-fallow. Light blue with red eyes. Males keep powder-blue markings.
• Cinnamon. Light yellow with beige and ruby-red eyes. Males retain cobalt markings. Also known as "Isabelle" in Europe.
• Gray-green. Deep olive green. Males' markings are blue-black.
• Lutino. Bright yellow bird with red eyes. Males' powder-blue markings replaced with white.
• Yellow (American). Canary yellow with dark eyes. Males retain powder-blue markings.
• Yellow (European). Light yellow and green with dark eyes. Males retain powder-blue markings. Also called "pastel".

Blue mutations tend to have mellower personalities than their green counterparts. However, keep in mind that mutated parrotlets, especially lutino and fallow, may not be as healthy as the normal green parrotlet.

For instance, many veterinarians do not advise feeding mutated parrotlets a pelleted diet because it can cause kidney damage. There have been reports of blindness in fallows, albinos and lutinos and unexplained instances of babies who failed to thrive.

We’ve still discovering problems with mutated parrotlets, which have been around for only about five years.

Green-rumps: Great for kids
Green-rump (Forpus passerinus) parrotlets, the only species in which males have green rumps instead of blue, are a smaller, slightly more timid bird than the Pacific parrotlet.

This native of Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana and the Caribbean islands weighs from 18 to 28 grams and measures from 3 ½ to 4 ½ inches, depending on the subspecies.

Green-rumps can be frightened by new things and may take a few days to settle into their new surroundings and begin eating a wide variety of foods.

Male green-rumps have bright turqoise on the wings.

But once acclimated, they possess just as much personality as the more boisterous Pacific parrotlet and are less insistent on getting their own way. Their sweet, gentle personalities make them good birds for children.

Green-rumps have pink feet and beaks, just like the Pacific parrotlet, and males have dark cobalt blue and bright turquoise wings-but, with the exception of one subspecies, no blue on the back or rump. Females have bright yellow between their eyes.

Beautiful, talkative spectacles
Spectacle parrotlets (Forpus conspicillatus), found in Panama, Colombia and Venezuela, were unavailable in the United States until the fall of 1992, when several pairs arrived from Belgium.

Through a successful breeding cooperative sponsored by my group, the International Parrotlet Society, there are now hundreds of these beautiful little parrotlets available as pets.

The striking spectacle is one of the most beautiful species of parrotlet. Males are a deep, rich evergreen with a bright blue eye ring, a cobalt-blue rump and coverts, and splashes of bright violet. In females, all blue markings are replaced with emerald green.

These tiny gems, about 3.5 inches long and 28 grams, are similar in size and nature to green-rumps. They are fearless and bold like the Pacific parrotlet, with outgoing, inquisitive personalities, but they’re not as stubborn.

Spectacles make great pets. Moreover, they’re the best talkers. Unlike Pacifics and green-rumps, both male and female spectacles often learn to talk. (Male Pacifics and green-rumps are no slouch in the conversational department, with about 80 percent learning to speak. However, only about 20 percent of female Pacifics talk, and female green-rumps rarely utter a word.)

Spectacles are voracious eaters and will consume just about everything offered to them. They are especially fond of fruits and vegetables and will eat huge amounts in proportion to their tiny bodies-up to half a measuring cup a day.

Blue-wing parrotlets: a little nervous
Among rarer species of parrotlets, blue-wings (Forpus xanthopterygius) are the most common.

Larger than Pacifics, they measure 5 ½ inches long and weigh 35 grams or more. Males and females sport gray beaks and legs. Males have blue violet wings, backs and rumps. Females have light green-yellow faces.

Blue-wings have slightly larger eyes than other parrotlets and tend to be nervous.

They can be difficult to breed, often taking six months or more to produce eggs. As a result, I know of only about 30 people raising blue-wings in this country, and few are sold as pets.

However, they range extensively in the wild, including parts of Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay.

Mexican parrotlets becoming scarce
Mexican (Forpus cyanopygius) parrotlets are among the largest of the parrotlets, at 5½ inches long and 40 grams in weight, and originate the farthest north.

Unfortunately, they are also becoming endangered because of smuggling and habitat destruction on the West Coast of Mexico and on the Tres Marias Islands.

Mexicans are bright green, with the males sporting gorgeous turquoise wings, backs and rumps. Both sexes have gray beaks and legs.

Somewhat of an enigma in the world of parrotlets, Mexicans are the only species willing to breed in a colony and the only one that follows a set breeding season, usually spring and summer.

Sclater's parrotlets: pets across the pond
Currently not available in the United States, the Sclater’s parrotlet (Forpus sclateri) can be found in captivity only in Europe.

Reportedly about 5 inches long, the Sclater’s originates in French Guiana, Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The males' lower back and rump are a deeper violet blue than any other parrotlet’s, with blue-violet primary and secondary-coverts, secondaries and under wing-coverts.

Both sexes have a gray upper mandible and horn-colored lower one. The legs are grayish brown. Females have no blue markings, with general plumage being paler than the male’s. The forehead, crown and cheeks are yellowish green.

Biggest and rarest: Yellow-face parrotlets
In the world of the tiny parrotlet, the yellow-face parrotlet (Forpus xanthops) is a giant, weighing 45 grams-an ounce and a half-and measuring about six inches long. This relatively large species looks more like a lovebird than a parrotlet.

Yellow-faces are also the rarest of all the parrotlets, found only in one remote valley in northwestern Peru. It is believed there are fewer than 20 pairs in the United States.

As the name implies, yellow-face parrotlets have bright yellow faces. They have horn-colored legs and a dark stripe running down the front of the upper beak.

Unlike most female parrotlets, yellow-faces have blue rumps.

Male yellow-faces have deep violet blue primaries and secondaries similar to male Pacifics’, including the blue eye streak. Females also have blue rumps, but they’re a lighter color than the males’.

Active climbers
Parrotlets love to climb and play and need a good-size cage to keep them happy and healthy. A cage for holding one pet parrotlet should measure at least 18 inches wide by 18 inches deep.

However, as with any type of parrot, it’s always best to get the largest cage you can afford. That way you can equip it with plenty of perches for climbing and lots of toys.

Cage bars should be spaced no more than half an inch apart. This will accommodate even the tiny Green-rump and Spectacle. Make sure the cage has a bottom grate to keep the bird away from old food and droppings.

As with any species of parrot, you should equip your parrotlet’s cage with natural wood perches, not dowels.

Manzanita, eucalyptus and unsprayed fruit tree branches (except cherry and avocado) provided in a range of small diameters will give your bird’s feet and toes beneficial exercise and their beaks something to chew. (Parrotlets love to strip the bark off branches.)

Scrub branches with plain water and microwave them for up to two minutes in order to destroy insects, fungus, viruses and bacteria. (Don’t overcook-branches can catch on fire.)

Untreated pine is nice for parrotlets (and many other types of parrots) because it is soft and easily chewed. One cement or sand paper-covered perch for filing nails is okay.

As with any parrot cage, make sure the one you pick is free of zinc and lead and is not made of brass or copper. Paint should be baked on to keep it from flaking. Although they are more expensive, powder-coated cages are the best.

Parrotlets need seed
Parrotlets burn a lot of energy in their limitless enthusiasm for play. For that reason, they do well on a high-quality seed mix with plenty of sunflower seeds.

Unlike most other parrots, which tend to gain weight, parrotlets need the extra fat in sunflower seeds to stay in peak condition. Choose a good mix made for cockatiels or other small hookbills.

But your parrotlet should have more than seed in its diet. Like other parrots, parrotlets thrive on fresh fruits, vegetables and greens.

If fresh fruits and vegetables are difficult to obtain, you may substitute sodium-free frozen vegetables thawed to room temperature. They should also receive whole wheat bread, cooked rice, pasta and cooked dried beans.

If slaving over a hot stove for your bird is not your thing, parrotlets also love prepackaged diets you can cook and feed warm.

Pretty Bird and Soak ‘N Cook, among others, make rice- or pasta-based diets with beans, corn, dried fruit and vegetables and herbs added. Parrotlet Take Out™ is formulated specifically for parrotlets.

As with any parrot, do not let cooked foods remain in the cage for longer than an hour or two. Cooked foods provide bacteria with an excellent breeding ground and can cause illness and death.

Feed easily spoiled foods on a paper plate that can be tossed in the trash when your bird is done. Fast learners, parrotlets will run to that dish as soon as you place it in the cage and eat every delicious morsel. They usually chew up the dish for dessert, so only use white or unbleached non-coated paper plates.

All parrotlets but color mutations can also enjoy pellets formulated for cockatiels.

Parrotlets also love millet spray; however, you should limit it to once a week so your bird does not eat it to the exclusion of other foods. The exception is baby parrotlets, which should be provided with as much millet as they will eat, especially right after weaning.

As with any psittacine, never feed grit to a parrotlet. It is unnecessary and has been known to cause crop impaction and death. If the parrotlet is on a well-balanced diet and has access to mineral block, cuttlebone and vitamins, it won’t need the minerals supplied with grit.

Also be careful with supplementary vitamins. You may spinkle soft foods with a supplement in a salt shaker several times week. However, do not add vitamins to the diet of a parrotlet fed mostly pellets. As with any pet parrot, it can damage the kidneys, the liver, or both.

Parrotlet population survey
It’s been two decades since I first fell in love with parrotlets, and contrary to those early rumors, they make terrific pets--and good parents if you satisfy their nutritional requirements.

Pet parrotlets still are not nearly as common as other small hookbills, such as budgies, cockatiels and lovebirds. However, they number hundreds more than they did when I bought my first pair.

The International Parrotlet Society, the nonprofit group I co-founded in 1992, conducts a survey each year to determine the parrotlet population in this country, among other facts. Check the site in November to see our latest results.

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