Blossom-headed parakeet

The blossom-headed parakeet (Himalayapsitta roseata) is a parrot in the family Psittaculidae.

Blossom-headed parakeet
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Himalayapsitta
Species:
H. roseata
Binomial name
Himalayapsitta roseata
Biswas, 1951
Synonyms
  • Psittacula roseata Biswas, 1951

Taxonomy

The species is divided into two subspecies:[2][3]

  • Himalayapsitta roseata juneae Biswas, 1951 (S Myanmar and Thailand to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam)
  • Himalayapsitta roseata roseata Biswas, 1951 (N India to Bhutan, Bangladesh and N Myanmar)

Distribution and habitat

Near Inthanon Highland Resort - Thailand

This species is a resident breeder in Eastern Bangladesh, Bhutan, Northeast India and Nepal, eastwards into South-east Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) and also China.[1] Blossom-headed parakeet inhabits lowland and foothill open forests and forest edges. [4]

Description

Psittacula roseata

Himalayapsitta roseata is a lime-green parrot,[4] 30 cm (12 in) long with a tail up to 18 cm (7.1 in). 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[4] 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.[5] The different head colour and the yellow tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar plum-headed parakeet (H. cyanocephala).

Biology

Blossom-headed parakeet nests in holes in trees, laying 4-5 white eggs. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet. It is a gregarious and noisy species with range of raucous calls. [6]

Bibliography

  • Grimmett, Inskipp y Inskipp, Birds of India ISBN 0-691-04910-6
  • Josep del Hoyo, Andrew Elliott, Jordi Sargatal (Hrsg.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 1997. ISBN 8487334229
  • Joseph Michael Forshaw: Parrots of the World - An Identification Guide. Princeton University Press, Princeton 2006, ISBN 978-0-691-09251-5.

References

  • Birds of India by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp, ISBN 0-691-04910-6
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