parrots mate

Question
We have a African parrot and a quaker together and it seems they are mating, "unsure if that", ?Would like to know how do parrots reproduce?  

Answer
It's quite possible that your two, different species birds, are indeed bonded enough to each other to not recognize the differences.  It's also possible that they could be of the same sex and going through the motions.
What may happen is the female will lay eggs. They won't be fertile, but it shouldn't be encouraged since egg layers have different nutritional needs and could suffer egg binding (one gets stuck inside) which is an emergency situation.

Make sure you don't have any nest material available or dark places for the bird to retreat to. Try to keep the pair distracted and regulate their daylight hours. 12+12. If you don't cover them at night, you ought to consider it. Never cover a cage completely (leave the front door uncovered) and never cover for longer than 12 hours (that's a great big 'never'), but if you are consistent year 'round it could curb the mating behavior.

When a male and female bird (same species) begin mating, the male's organ, which is inside his body, aligns with the female during the act. As with all other animals, sperm is transferred; it can be held in the female's body, depending on the species, for days. When the developing egg is ready to fertilize, it does and within a couple of days (again, depending on species), it's got the hard outer shell and is laid.
In this egg, the chick is nourished by the yolk sac. Birds are constantly turning their eggs in the nest, repositioning themselves on the eggs and sometimes leaving them for brief periods - which keeps the developing chick from 'sticking' to the sides of the egg and either dying inside or having deformities.  Not all eggs hatch. Any number of things may go wrong, but if they DO hatch, the little bird is born looking very much like an embryo. No eyelids, no feathers and unable to stand. What they CAN do is make a screeching noise like you wouldn't believe, and open their mouths almost as big as they are so the parents don't forget to feed them :)
 
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