Layard's Parakeet
Encyclopedia
The Layard's Parakeet is a parrot
which is a resident endemic
breeder in Sri Lanka
. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard
; his first wife, Barbara Anne Calthrop, whom he married in 1845, is commemorated in the specific epithet.
The female is similar, but has an all black beak and less green on the face than the male. Immature birds are mainly green, with an orange bill.
s. Its flight is swift and direct, and the call is a raucous chattering. It nests in holes in large trees, laying 3–4 white eggs.
, this bird is knowns as alu girawa (ash-parrot) in Sinhala Language.
This bird appears on a 50c Sri Lankan postal stamp.
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 endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
breeder in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard
Edgar Leopold Layard
Edgar Leopold Layard CMG, FZS, MBOU was a British naturalist mainly interested in ornithology. Born in Florence, Italy, to a family of Huguenot descent, he was the sixth son of Henry Peter John Layard of the Ceylon Civil Service with his wife Marianne,...
; his first wife, Barbara Anne Calthrop, whom he married in 1845, is commemorated in the specific epithet.
Description
Layard's Parakeet is a green parrot, 29 cm long including a tail up to 13 cm. The adult has a bluish-grey head and back, separated by a green collar. There is a broad black chin stripe and the tail is blue tipped yellow. The upper mandible of the male's bill is red and the lower mandible is brown.The female is similar, but has an all black beak and less green on the face than the male. Immature birds are mainly green, with an orange bill.
Behaviour
Layard's Parakeet is a bird of forests, particularly at the edges and in clearings, and also gardens. It is locally common. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds, buds and blossoms that make up its diet. It is less gregarious than some of its relatives, and is usually in small groups outside the breeding season, when it often feeds with Brahminy StarlingBrahminy Starling
The Brahminy Myna or Brahminy Starling is a member of the starling family of birds. It is creamy orange bird with a black cap and a slight crest. They are usually seen in pairs or small flocks in open habitats on the plains of South Asia.-Description:This myna is pale buff creamy with a black cap...
s. Its flight is swift and direct, and the call is a raucous chattering. It nests in holes in large trees, laying 3–4 white eggs.
In culture
In Sri LankaSri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, this bird is knowns as alu girawa (ash-parrot) in Sinhala Language.
This bird appears on a 50c Sri Lankan postal stamp.
External links
- World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia – Species Profiles
- Oriental Bird Images: Layard's Parakeet Selected photos