Red-breasted Parakeet - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo © by juninho
Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India, March 2004

Psittacula alexandri

Identification

33–38 cm (13-15 in)

Red-tipped yellow bill
Bluish-grey head
Black line from cere to eye
Black chin and lower cheeks
Female has black upper mandible

Distribution

From Nepal and India eastwards to Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina, Hainan and south to Sumatra, Borneo, Java and Bali.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Female with characteristic black upper mandible
Photo © by Alok Tewari
Dwarahat, Alt. 5200 ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, October-2018

There are 7 subspecies^[1]

P. a. fasciata:

Northern India to Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Indochina and Hainan

P. a. abbotti:

Andaman Islands

P. a. cala:

Simeulue Island (off western Sumatra)

P. a. major:

Lasia Island and Babi Island (off Sumatra)

P. a. alexandri:

Java, Bali and extreme southern Borneo

P. a. kangeanensis:

Kangean Islands (Java Sea)

P. a. dammermani:

Karimunjawa Islands (Java Sea)

Habitat

Males
Photo © by SeeToh
Pulau Punggol Barat, Singapore, December 2014

Moist deciduous forest, forest edges, secondary growth, coconut and teak plantations. Also found in mangroves. Parks and gardens. Observed at heights around 5200 feet.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of nectar and flowers; little else is known at present.

Breeding

They make their nests in a hollow limb or hole.

Vocalisation

Listen in an external program

Recording by Alok Tewari
Dwarahat, Alt. 5200 ft., Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, October-2018
Two individuals were feeding on top of a Eucalyptus tree, one of them calling, first at perch and then as it flew off.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved November 2018)
BF Member observations
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent : Richard Grimmett et al, pp202, OUP, Reprint-2014

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Red-breasted Parakeet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Red-breasted_Parakeet

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