Slaty-headed parakeet

Last updated

Slaty-headed parakeet
Slaty headed Parakeet I IMG 3102c.jpg
In the Kullu- Manali District of Himachal Pradesh, India.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Genus: Psittacula
Species:
P. himalayana
Binomial name
Psittacula himalayana
(Lesson, RP, 1831)
Synonyms
  • Himalayapsitta himalayana

The slaty-headed parakeet (Psittacula himalayana) is the only psittacid species to exhibit altitudinal migration. The species' range extends from Pakistan, to Western Himalayas in India through Nepal and Bhutan and up to the Eastern Himalayas in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. They descend to the valleys in winter, approximately during the last week of October.

Contents

Description

Adults of both genders have green (tinted with blue) feathers on most of their body. It has a dark grey (slate colored) head with a light blue tint where head meets the neck. Males feature dark maroon patches on inner wing coverts. Females do not feature these maroon patches. Males have long central tail feathers which are shorter in female birds. The tail is green at base and becomes deep blue and widely tipped with bright yellow. The parakeet features a bright red-orange upper mandible with a pale yellow lower. It also has a pale yellow eye. [2]

Distribution and population

The slaty-headed parakeet has a wide range throughout the Himalayas and surrounding areas. This bird is found is western Bhutan, most of Nepal, and in the following the Indian states; Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh,(southern) Jammu and Kashmir. It is can also be found in a small area north of Islamabad and in the southern areas of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan. The bird can also be found in small pockets of mountainous areas in the provinces of Kabul, Logar, Nangarhar, and Paktia in Afghanistan. [3]

Ecology and behavior

The species is usually found at elevations of 460–2400 meters in its natural habitat of highland/hillside forest and valley woodlands. They are usually observed in small flocks or family groups in search for their diet of various fruits (wild and agriculturally grown), nuts, pine nuts, seeds, nectar, and acorns. Multiple larger flocks are usually seen near the end of the wet season, where they descend into the valleys for most of winter. It is common for to see them mingle with other parakeet species such as the rose-ringed parakeet, plum-headed parakeet, and blossom-headed parakeet. Females usually lay 4-5 eggs of about 28.5 x 22 mm. The eggs incubate for approximately 23–24 days before hatching. In their Afghanistan range, this bird will often nest in abandoned nest cavities of the scaly-bellied woodpecker, and these species may nest in close proximity to each other for security against predators. The slaty-headed parakeet usually breeds within the months of March–May. It has as typical lifespan of 15–17 years. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose-ringed parakeet</span> Species of bird

The rose-ringed parakeet, also known as the ringneck parrot or the Kramer parrot, is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ranges in Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, and is now introduced into many other parts of the world where feral populations have established themselves and are bred for the exotic pet trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conure</span> Group of small to medium-sized parrots

Conures are a diverse, loosely defined group of small to medium-sized parrots. They belong to several genera within a long-tailed group of the New World parrot subfamily Arinae. The term "conure" is used primarily in bird keeping, though it has appeared in some scientific journals. The American Ornithologists' Union uses the generic term parakeet for all species elsewhere called conure, though Joseph Forshaw, a prominent Australian ornithologist, uses conure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton's parakeet</span> Extinct parrot from the island Rodrigues

Newton's parakeet, also known as the Rodrigues parakeet or Rodrigues ring-necked parakeet, is an extinct species of parrot that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Rodrigues in the western Indian Ocean. Several of its features diverged from related species, indicating long-term isolation on Rodrigues and subsequent adaptation. The rose-ringed parakeet of the same genus is a close relative and probable ancestor. Newton's parakeet may itself have been ancestral to the endemic parakeets of nearby Mauritius and Réunion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plum-headed parakeet</span> Species of bird

The plum-headed parakeet is a species of parakeet in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent and was once thought to be conspecific with the blossom-headed parakeet before being elevated to a full species. Plum-headed parakeets are found in flocks, the males having a pinkish purple head and the females, a grey head. They fly swiftly with twists and turns accompanied by their distinctive calls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blossom-headed parakeet</span> Species of bird

The blossom-headed parakeet is a parrot in the family Psittaculidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandrine parakeet</span> Species of bird

The Alexandrine parakeet, also known as the Alexandrine parrot, is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula of the family Psittaculidae, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is named after Alexander the Great, who transported numerous birds from Punjab to various European and Mediterranean countries and regions, where they were prized by the royalty, nobility and warlords.

<i>Psittacula</i> Genus of birds

Members of the parrot genus Psittacula or Afro-Asian ring-necked parrots, as they are commonly known in aviculture, originate from Africa to South-East Asia. It is a widespread group with a clear concentration of species in south Asia, but also with representatives in Africa and the islands of the Indian Ocean. This is the only genus of parrot which has the majority of its species in continental Asia. Of all the extant species only Psittacula calthropae, Psittacula caniceps and Psittacula echo do not have a representative subspecies in any part of mainland continental Asia. The rose-ringed parakeet, Psittacula krameri, is one of the most widely distributed of all parrots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-winged parakeet</span> Species of bird

The blue-winged parakeet, also known as the Malabar parakeet is a species of parakeet endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. Found in small flocks, they fly rapidly in forest clearings while making screeching calls that differ from those of other parakeet species within their distribution range. Their long blue tails tipped in yellow and the dark wings with blue contrast with the dull grey of their head and body. Adult males and females can be easily told apart from the colour of their beak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echo parakeet</span> Species of parrot endemic to Mauritius

The echo parakeet is a species of parrot endemic to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and formerly Réunion. It is the only living native parrot of the Mascarene Islands; all others have become extinct due to human activity. Two subspecies have been recognised, the extinct Réunion parakeet and the living echo parakeet, sometimes known as the Mauritius parakeet. The relationship between the two populations was historically unclear, but a 2015 DNA study determined them to be subspecies of the same species by comparing the DNA of echo parakeets with a single skin thought to be from a Réunion parakeet, but it has also been suggested they did not constitute different subspecies. As it was named first, the binomial name of the Réunion parakeet is used for the species; the Réunion subspecies thereby became P. eques eques, while the Mauritius subspecies became P. eques echo. Their closest relative was the extinct Newton's parakeet of Rodrigues, and the three are grouped among the subspecies of the rose-ringed parakeet of Asia and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Derby's parakeet</span> Species of bird

Lord Derby's parakeet, also known as Derbyan parakeet, is a parrot species, which is confined to a small pocket of moist evergreen forest in the hills and mountains of the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and adjoining parts of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan in China. The species suffers from cutting of old trees and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. In 2011, its status was updated from least concern to near threatened on the IUCN Red List. The adult male and female are easily distinguished because they have different beak colours and slightly different plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seychelles parakeet</span> Extinct bird species once endemic to Seychelles

The Seychelles parakeet or Seychelles Island parrot is an extinct species of parrot that was endemic to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. It was scientifically named Palaeornis wardi by the British ornithologist Edward Newton in 1867, and the specific name honours the British civil commissioner Swinburne Ward who procured the specimens that formed the basis for the description. It was found on the islands of Mahé, Silhouette, and possibly Praslin. Ten skin specimens exist today, but no skeletons. Though the species was later moved to the genus Psittacula, genetic studies have led some researchers to suggest it should belong in a reinstated Palaeornis along with the closely related Alexandrine parakeet (P. eupatria) of Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-headed parakeet</span> Species of bird

The grey-headed parakeet is closely related to the slaty-headed parakeet which together form a super-species. It is found in Southeast Asia from north-eastern India to Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psittaculini</span> Tribe of birds

Psittaculini is a tribe of parrots of the family Psittaculidae. The subdivisions within the tribe are controversial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talking bird</span> Bird that can mimic human speech

Talking birds are birds that can mimic the speech of humans. There is debate within the scientific community over whether some talking parrots also have some cognitive understanding of the language. Birds have varying degrees of talking ability: some, like the corvids, are able to mimic only a few words and phrases, while some budgerigars have been observed to have a vocabulary of almost 2,000 words. The hill myna, a common pet, is well known for its talking ability and its relative, the European starling, is also adept at mimicry. Wild cockatoos in Australia have been reported to have learned human speech by cultural transmission from ex-captive birds that have integrated into the flock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feral parrot</span> Parrot in non-native environment

A feral parrot is a parrot that has adapted to life in an ecosystem to which it is not native. The birds are often descended from pets that have escaped or been deliberately released. Many species of parrots are highly social, and like to gather in large flocks. Not all feral parrots are able to adapt to life outside of captivity, although having a pre-existing nearby parrot colony can assist with the adaptation process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood-eared parakeet</span> Species of bird

The blood-eared parakeet, also known as the red-eared parakeet and in aviculture as the red-eared conure, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire-capped tit</span> Species of bird

The fire-capped tit is a small, 10 cm (3.9 in) long, weighing about 7 g (0.25 oz) bird species assigned to the family Paridae, that breeds in the temperate forest bordering the Himalayas to the south, in the Hengduan Shan and Nujiang Shan on the Myanmar-China border, the Micah Shan and Daba Shan on the Northern Sichuan border. It winters down hill and further south. Further to the east, birds tend to be smaller and the plumage becomes gradually darker.

The intermediate parakeet or Rothschild's parakeet was a kind of parakeet reported from the sub-Himalayan region of India and was described on the basis of about seven undated specimens. Similar individuals have been noted in captivity and the type specimen is now believed to be a hybrid between Psittacula himalayana and Psittacula cyanocephala. More recent captive specimens that appeared similar were found to be hybrids produced by crosses between Psittacula krameri and Psittacula cyanocephala. An analysis of the characters of the specimens suggests that the originally described P. intermedia was a hybrid between P. cyanocephala x P. himalayana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun conure</span> Species of bird

The sun conure, also known as the sun parakeet, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, predominantly golden-yellow plumage, orange-flushed underparts and face, and green and blue-tipped wings and tails. Sun conures are very social birds, typically living in flocks. They form monogamous pairs for reproduction, and nest in palm cavities in the tropics. Sun conures mainly feed on fruits, flowers, berries, blossoms, seeds, nuts, and insects. Conures are commonly bred and kept in aviculture and may live up to 30 years. This species is currently threatened by loss of habitat and trapping for plumage or the pet trade. Sun conures are now listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psittaculinae</span> Subfamily of birds

The parrot subfamily Psittaculinae consists of three tribes: the Polytelini with three genera, the Psittaculini or Asian psittacines, and the pygmy parrots of the Micropsittini tribe.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Psittacula himalayana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22685468A93074726. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22685468A93074726.en . Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 World Parrot Trust. "Slaty-headed Parakeet (Psittacula himalayana)". Parrot Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  3. "Slaty-headed Parakeet (Psittacula himalayana) - BirdLife species factsheet". datazone.birdlife.org. Retrieved 2016-11-20.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Psittacula himalayana at Wikimedia Commons