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Rose-ringed Parakeet - BirdForum Opus

Revision as of 21:51, 25 November 2016 by Deliatodd-18346 (talk | contribs) (Imp sizes. References updated)

Alternative Name: Ring-necked Parakeet

Psittacula krameri borealis, male (above), juvenile (below)
Photo by SANJEEV
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, March 2014.
Psittacula krameri

Identification

37–43 cm (14½-17 in)

  • Green plumage
  • Long tail, with blue-green central feathers and yellower side feathers
  • Red bill, often with black lower mandible

Male

  • Black neck-ring
  • Pink nape-band
Psittacula krameri manillensis, female
Photo by surunair
Mumbai, India; February 2013

Female and immature both lack the neck rings, or show a shadow-like pale to dark grey neck-ring and a light nape-band[3].

Distribution

Across northern sub-saharan Africa from Mauritania to Eritrea, and southern Asia, in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Burma, and Sri Lanka.

Feral populations widespread and increasing rapidly in Europe, southwest Asia, South Africa, Hawai'i, North and South America. Most are considered to be of the subspecies P. k. borealis.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Psittacula krameri borealis, female. Despite - or because of - its bright colours, surprisingly well camouflaged in foliage
Photo by Joydip
Kolkata, India, April 2014

Four subspecies are accepted, only showing small differences[1][2]:

  • P. k. krameri:
  • P. k. parvirostris:
  • P. k. borealis:
  • P. k. manillensis:
  • Southern peninsular India and Sri Lanka. Bill with upper mandible red, lower black, in both sexes.

Habitat

Open countryside with some trees including gardens and parks.

Behaviour

An invasive species in many countries; here in Hertfordshire, England
Photo by Andy Bright
June 2007

They can form very large flocks.

Breeding

Nests in holes in trees; usually lays 3-4 eggs, in late winter or early spring.

Diet

Diet includes fruit, nuts, berries, seeds, buds, and vegetables. Often considered a pest species causing damage to crops.

Vocalisation

A raucous screech. Particularly noisy in flight, but can also sit quietly in trees for long periods.
<flashmp3>rose-ringed_parakeet_alok.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Urban Garden near residential apartment, Delhi, India, Sep.-2016

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliot, and J Sargatal, eds. 1997. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334221
  3. Birdforum thread discussing separating male, female and juvenile of this species.
  4. Wikipedia

Recommended Citation

External Links



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