Blossom-headed Parakeet
Encyclopedia
The Blossom-headed Parakeet (Psittacula roseata) is a parrot
which is a resident breeder in northeast India
eastwards into Southeast Asia
. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet.
Blossom-headed Parakeet is a bird of forest and open woodland. It nests in holes in trees, laying 4-5 white eggs.
This is a green parrot, 30 cm long with a tail up to 18 cm. The male's head is pink becoming pale blue on the back of the crown, nape and cheeks. There is a narrow black neck collar and a black chin stripe.
There is a red shoulder patch and the rump and tail are bluish-green, the latter tipped yellow. The upper mandible is yellow, and the lower mandible is dark.
The female has a pale grey head and lacks the black neck collar and chin stripe patch. The lower mandible is pale. Immature birds have a green head and a grey chin. Both mandibles are yellowish and there is no red shoulder patch.
The different head colour and the yellow tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar Plum-headed Parakeet
(Psittacula cyanocephala).
Blossom-headed Parakeet is a gregarious and noisy species with range of raucous calls.
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
which is a resident breeder in northeast India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
eastwards into Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet.
This is a green parrot, 30 cm long with a tail up to 18 cm. The male's head is pink becoming pale blue on the back of the crown, nape and cheeks. There is a narrow black neck collar and a black chin stripe.
There is a red shoulder patch and the rump and tail are bluish-green, the latter tipped yellow. The upper mandible is yellow, and the lower mandible is dark.
The female has a pale grey head and lacks the black neck collar and chin stripe patch. The lower mandible is pale. Immature birds have a green head and a grey chin. Both mandibles are yellowish and there is no red shoulder patch.
The different head colour and the yellow tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar Plum-headed Parakeet
Plum-headed Parakeet
The Plum-headed Parakeet is a parakeet endemic to the Indian Subcontinent, being a resident breeder in much of the region.-Description:...
(Psittacula cyanocephala).
Blossom-headed Parakeet is a gregarious and noisy species with range of raucous calls.
External links
- Oriental Bird Images: Blossom-headed Parakeet Selected photos