I hope i am not being too presumptuous but thought I would post up some information about the Eastern Rosella. If interested I will also pop up some info on the other Rosella's as well but obviously best to start with what I personally know LOL
Scientific name: Platycercus eximius eximius
Sub species: (Eastern Rosella = Platycercus eximius eximius. Tasmanian Eastern Rosella = P. e. diemenensis. Golden mantled Rosella = P. e. cecilae.)
Lifespan (estimate): approx. 15 or more years
Nesting months: August to February
Breeding: Clutch/s per year 1, sometimes 2. Eggs per nest 4 - 7. Incubation approx. 20 days. Fledge approx. 5 weeks. Independent approx. another 2 - 3 weeks, sometimes up to 4 weeks. Generally prolific breeders.
Temperament: The Eastern Rosella will usually breed well in captivity and is probably the most popular of the Rosellas. Can be an aggressive bird and best housed one pair per flight. Individual birds are popular when kept as pets or companion birds.
In NZ : The eastern rosella was imported to New Zealand in 1910 when customs refused entry to a small shipment and the birds were released off Otago Heads from the ship that brought them.
Other populations became established around Auckland (where i live) in the 1920s and Wellington in the 1960s and are now the most common and widespread parakeet throughout the North Island of New Zealand.
Unfortunately the Eastern Rosella gets quite the bad rap in NZ as it is native to Australia. It is a cavity nesters and nests earlier than our own native species. It is blamed for the decline of the native Kakariki however there is much arguement as to whether this is true or not.
In the wild: Eastern Rosellas spend a lot of time on the ground foraging for foods. This habit of ground feeding appears to be more pronounced in the Eastern Rosella than the other Rosellas.
Because of their preference to feed on the ground in the wild, these birds consume a larger proportion of their foods as seeds or grains from grasses and herbs than the other types of Rosellas. An example of this is Batmans cage set up, her food dish is right down the bottom so that batman can stand on the newspaper covered grate to get to her food, she will often carry items higher to nibble at but she wont have a meal anywhere off ground level.
The Eastern Rosella likes to nibble on seeding grasses and greens, their basic diet includes a quality Budgie mix or Canary mix with added sunflower and safflower seed. A variety of fruits and vegetables should also make up a good portion of their diet. Leafy green vegetables, fresh eucalypt branches and other suitable fresh branches can be offered and any fruits or berries.
Due to the fact that they are ground feeders they seem to have a higher likelihood of needing treatment for internal parasites. In spite of this the Rosella is considered a very hardy bird.
From a personal viewpoint Rosellas are very agressive. If an owner is not prepared to devote time daily to their Rosella then they will find their bird will revert back to close to a wild state in a matter of days. It is very rare to have a Rosella who talks however they are very quick at picking up tunes and can often whistle full songs. An Eastern Rosella is not a bird to be petted on but it loves human company and just wants to be near you on its own terms. They love to chew and need to be kept occupied with varying toys. Batman loves her foot toys the most and can spend hours trying to figure out a new puzzle as well.
Finally here are some pics of the wild Rosellas who visit our balcony daily to call on Batman, we have had this flock in our lounge room as well which was quite scary for all involved at the time ( we no longer sleep with our doors open on summer nigths LOL )
a pic of batmans cage (you can see the blue feeder down the bottom )