Rose-ringed Parakeet
Psittacula krameri
Vibrantly bright green parakeet, frequently found in woodland, parks, and gardens, where it feeds mainly in trees. Nests in cavities, including holes in buildings. Easily overlooked if quiet, as the bright green plumage blends easily with foliage. Note the very long slender tail and bright red bill; male has narrow black-and-pink neck ring. Closely resembles the larger Alexandrine Parakeet, which has a wine-red patch on each shoulder. Like other parakeets, raucous and social, often appearing in noisy groups giving sharp screeching calls. Native to Africa and South Asia, introduced locally around the world, from Europe and the Caribbean to Japan and Hawaii.
Identification
The rose-ringed parakeet is sexually dimorphic. The adult male sports a pink and black neck ring, and the hen and immature birds of both sexes either show no neck rings, or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck rings. Both sexes have a distinctive green colour in the wild with a red beak and blue tail, and captive bred ringnecks have multiple colour mutations which include turquoise, cinnamon, olive, white, blue, violet, grey and yellow. Rose-ringed parakeets measure on average 40 cm (16 in) in length, including the tail feathers, a large portion of their total length. Their average single-wing length is about 15 to 17.5 cm (5.9 to 6.9 in). In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable squawking call. Captive individuals can be taught to speak. They are a herbivorous and non-migratory species.
Taxonomy
Four subspecies are recognised, though they differ little:<p>The Asian subspecies are both larger than the African subspecies.<p>The genus name Psittacula is a diminutive of Latin psittacus, "parrot", and the specific krameri commemorates the Austrian naturalist Wilhelm Heinrich Kramer.<p>In 2019, a genetic study revived the genus Alexandrinus, formerly viewed as a synonym of the current genus Psittacula. Some organisations, including the IUCN, have accepted the new taxonomy.
- Scientific name
- Psittacula krameri
- Authority
- (Scopoli, 1769)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Psittacula
Range and habitat
Since the 19th century, the rose-ringed parakeet has successfully colonized many other countries. It breeds further north than any other parrot species. It has established itself on a large scale in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and the UK. See Feral Birds section below.<p>This shows that the risk of parakeet establishment may rise further as a result of decreasing frost days due to global warming, rising urbanization, and rising human populations. Because of the significant separate parakeet imports in Europe, researchers are capable of investigating the widely held hypothesis of climate matching and human activity at the species level.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
In the wild, rose-ringed parakeets usually feed on buds, nectar, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, seeds, grains, and insects. Wild flocks also fly several miles to forage in farmlands and orchards, causing extensive damage. Feral parakeets will regularly visit gardens and other locations near human habitation, taking food from bird feeders.<p>In India, they feed on cereal grains, and during winter also on pigeon peas. In Egypt during the spring, they feed on mulberry and in summer they feed on dates and nest inside palm trees and eat from sunflower and corn fields.<p>In captivity, rose-ringed parakeets will take a large variety of food and can be fed on a number of fruits, vegetables, pellets, seeds, and even small amounts of cooked meat for protein. Oils, salts, chocolate, alcohol, and other preservatives should be avoided.<p>In northwestern India, Indian rose-ringed parakeets form pairs from September to December. They do not have life mates and often breed with another partner during the following breeding season. During this cold season, they select and defend nest sites, thus avoiding competition for sites with other birds. Feeding on winter pea crops provides the female with nutrients necessary for egg production. From April to June, they care for their young. Fledglings are ready to leave the nest before monsoon.<p>Seasonal changes in testicular activity, plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), and 5 α-dihydrotestosterone (5 α-DHT) were related to pair bond formation, nest building, nest defense, and parental behavior in free living Indian rose-ringed parakeets in northwest India. The parakeets are able to reproduce in the winter because it allows them to avoid competing with other birds for nesting places, postpone having young during the monsoon season, and take use of the winter pea harvest, which provides the female with extra nutrients for egg formation.
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Large-billed Antwren
Herpsilochmus longirostris
Small active antwren of the middle to upper levels of woodlands and dry forests. Males are gray with a black cap, a black white-tipped tail, and black wings with white bars. Differs from male of Black-capped Antwren in having gray spots on the otherwise pale breast. Females are very different from Black-capped Antwren in having a rufous head, breast, and belly.
Cinnamon Bittern
Botaurus cinnamomeus
Small heron of wet and open grassy areas such as flooded meadows and paddy fields. Uniformly bright rufous upperparts of adult male unmistakable. Female and juvenile have pale streaked belly, dark streaks and spots scattered on the wings and back, and are dark brown with some rufous tones above. Females often have light spotting on the wings, potentially causing confusion with female Schrenck's Bittern, which has brighter and more solid white spots and a prominent dark crown lacking in Cinnamon. Gives dry croaking clicks.
Turquoise Dacnis
Dacnis hartlaubi
A small tanager that is rare and local in the Andes of Colombia. Beautiful male is patterned in electric cerulean and black with an especially prominent black mask and a staring yellow eye. Female is grayish brown above and dull buffy below with a darker mask and a yellowish eye. Note its rather stout bill for a dacnis. Pairs occur in montane forest and edges from around 1,300 to 2,200 m, where they follow mixed-species flocks or feed from fruiting trees.
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