Psittaciformes / Psittaculidae / Psittacula

Plum-headed Parakeet

Psittacula cyanocephala · 梅头鹦鹉

IUCN: Least Concern Found in China

Introduction

A species of parakeet in the family Psittacidae, endemic to the Indian subcontinent. It inhabits forests, open woodlands, and city gardens. Distinctive traits include gregarious behavior, swift flight with twists and turns, and sexual dimorphism in head coloration.

Description

Mainly green parrot, 33–37 cm (13–15 in) long, weighing 55–85 g (1.9–3.0 oz). Tail length up to 22 cm (8.7 in). Male has a red head shading to purple-blue on the crown, nape, and cheeks, with a narrow black neck collar featuring verdigris below on the nape, a black chin stripe, and a red shoulder patch. Rump and tail are bluish-green, with white tail tips. Upper mandible is orangish-yellow; lower is dark. Female has a dull bluish-grey head, lacks the black and verdigris collar (replaced by yellow), has no black chin stripe or red shoulder patch, and possesses a corn-yellow upper mandible. Immature birds have green heads and yellowish mandibles; dark head color develops after one year.

Identification

Distinguished from the similar blossom-headed parakeet by different head color and white tail tips (the latter has maroon shoulder patches and yellow-tipped shorter tails). Flight is swift with rapid twists and turns. Usual flight and contact call is 'tuink?' repeated intermittently.

Distribution & Habitat

Found from the foothills of the Himalayas south to Sri Lanka, excluding dry regions of western India. Habitats include forest, open woodland, and city gardens. Escaped individuals recorded in New York, Florida, and parts of the Middle East.

Behavior & Ecology

Gregarious and noisy, forming flocks and roosting communally. Diet consists of grains, fruits, and fleshy flower petals (e.g., Salmalia, Butea); occasionally raids agricultural fields and orchards. Movements are local, driven by food availability. Breeding season is December to April in India and July to August in Sri Lanka. Nests in tree trunk holes chiseled by the pair, laying 4–6 white eggs. Female solely incubates and feeds young. Courtship involves bill rubbing and feeding. Captive individuals can mimic beeps, whistles, and human speech.

Culture

Described in the 5th-century BC work Indica by Ctesias of Cnidus as a talking bird capable of speaking Indian and Greek, noted for its crimson face, black beard, and dark blue neck.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0