Hello! We are the gorgeous and attractive Plum-headed Parakeets. We are the parrots found only in India. Have a look at few interesting points about us:
- We are first described by French Zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 in his book “Ornithologie” based on a specimen collected in India.
- We are one of the very impressive pets but it now illegal. We can talk and mimic very well compared to our size. Our voice is clear and loud.
- We are found in many tourist places in India. People living there feed us in the streets to attract tourists.
- We are very quick, swift, and stealthy. This makes humans difficult to spot us in the wild. We are also capable of moving in and out of tight spaces.
- Did you know? Compared to other parrots, we are relatively quiet.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Psittacula Cyanocephala.
Identification: Parrots: Males are green with pink face; females are green with purple face.
Our Habitat: forests, open woodlands and in some gardens.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Herbivorous; feed mainly on grains, flowers, fruits and crops.
Breeding Period: In India; December to April; In Sri Lanka: July to August.
Number of eggs laid: 4-6 eggs.
Incubation period: about 23 days.
Lifespan: 15-20 years in wild, about 30 years in captivity.
IUCN red list status: Least Concern.
CITES: Appendix II.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule IV.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Genus: Psittacula
Species: P. cyanocephala
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We belong to parrot family and we are exclusively found in Indian Subcontinent. We are scientifically called as Psittacula Cyanocephala.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are regular-sized parrots with a body length of about 33gm, a tail length of about 22cm and weighing about 66gms. We are green colored birds, with dark green wings and blue colored tail with yellow tips. We have a red colored patch on our wings. Our beaks are yellowish-orange in color and legs are dark grey in color.
Males and females of our species look differently. Males of our species have pink face with fading purple around the neck. The neck and throat have black strip that extends up to lower part of the beak. Females of our species have purplish-blue colored head with light green strip around the neck. Young ones of our species have green colored head.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We prefer living in forests, open woodlands and in some gardens. We are found only in Indian Subcontinent. In India, we can mostly be found in foothills of Himalayas.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are herbivorous birds and mainly feed on grains, flowers, fruits and crops.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are highly social species and live in groups. Our breeding season is from December to April in India and from July to August in Sri Lanka. We are monogamous birds meaning we have a single mate for a lifetime. Males and females attract each other by rubbing their bills and feeding. We make our nests by chiselling tree trunks and making holes.
The female lays 4-6 eggs at a time and the incubation period is about 23 days. The incubation is done solely by female. The young chicks are taken care of and fed by female alone while the male guards the nest. Our lifespan in the wild is 15-20 years and in captivity, we can live up to 30 years if taken care of well.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are one of the favourite pets kept by humans but due to decline in our population, we are now not traded as pets.
We can mimic various tunes and whistles.
We have a swift flight patterns and can twist and turn very rapidly.
Compared to other parrots, we are relatively quiet.
OUR CONSERVATION:
Though we are not threatened, but due to increased trading of our species, our population has declined, and it is illegal to keep us as pets in India now. We are listed as “Least Concern” in the red list of IUCN, listed in CITES Appendix II, and we are protected under Schedule IV of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
