The Blossom-headed parakeet, Psittacula roseata or Himalayapsitta roseata, is a parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It has a lime green body and a pink or bluish grey-head and is found in Southeast Asia. This species is sometimes also referred to as Rosy-headed parakeet.
Description
Psittacula roseata is a lime-green parrot,[2] 30 cm (12 in) long with a tail up to 18 cm (7.1 in). It weighs on average 2.9 - 3.1 oz (85 - 90 g).[3]
The male's head, cheeks, and ears are pink becoming pale blue towards the back of the crown and nape. There is a narrow black neck collar and a black chin stripe. There is a reddish brown shoulder spot on the inner middle wing coverts. Long, central tail feathers are blue and tipped with pale yellow. Side tail feathers are yellow green and tipped with pale yellow. The upper mandible is orange yellow, and the lower mandible is a dark grey. Eyes are pale yellow.[3]
The female Psittacula roseata differs with a pale blue grey head and the black neck collar is instead yellow green. The red shoulder spot is smaller among females, the upper mandible is yellow, and the lower bill is a dark grey.[3]
Male Psittacula roseata in Satchari National Park, Bangladesh (2019)
Psittacula juneau, a subspecies, is similar in description to Psittacula roseata, except it has a more yellowish plumage and the red wing patch is larger.[4] The central tail feathers are paler in colour and the side tail feathers are yellower.[3]
Immature, juvenile birds have a green head and a grey chin. Both mandibles are yellowish and there is no red shoulder patch.[3] Juvenile birds have grey eyes.[3]
The different head colour and the yellow tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar Plum-headed parakeet (H. cyanocephala).
Taxonomy
The Psittaculagenus, introduced in 1800 by naturalist Georges Cuvier, includes 16 species of parrots and parakeets. The genus name Psittacula is derived from the latin word psittacus, or “parrot”. Biswamoy Biswas, an Indian ornithologist, was credited as the authority on this species in 1951 due to his contributions researching the birds of Nepal and Bhutan.
The blossom-headed parakeet inhabits lowland and foothill open forests.[2] It occurs in altitudes around 1500m and in light forests such as savannas, secondary growth forests, forest edges, clearings, and cultivated areas.[8] In Thailand, the Blossom-headed parakeet is common in cultivated land and forest outskirts.[4]
The 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.[9] The species is normally found moving in small flocks or in family groups, and often in the company of Moustached parakeets.[4]
Blossom-headed parakeet class are described as having a range of raucous calls, sometimes being gregarious and noisy[10] or soft and melodic much like the Plum-headed parakeet (P. cyanocephala).[3]
Breeding and captivity
Although uncommon in overseas aviculture, this species has been historically kept in captivity for importation into Europe.[4] It is trapped and sold illegally as a cage bird, such as at Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, Thailand.[11] Blossom-headed parakeets are generally non-aggressive to other captive birds.[4]
Female Blossom-headed parakeet near Inthanon Highland Resort, Thailand (2016)
In 1879, aviculturist Dr. Karl Russ was the first person to record a successful breeding attempt with the Blossom-headed parakeet. As in the wild, the species lays a clutch of two to four eggs which are incubated by the hen. Incubation lasts around 24 days and newly hatched birds remain in the nest for seven to eight weeks.[4]
Millet, oats, and canary and sunflower seeds are recommended staple diets for captive Blossom-headed parakeets. Young parakeets consume a soaked seed mix, green food, and fruit in large amounts.[4]
Threats and conservation
The Blossom-headed parakeet was classified as near threatened by the IUCN Red List in 2013 because of its moderately rapid decline from trapping and habitat loss. While populations are stable or declining slowly in its range in India and Thailand, populations in Laos and Vietnam have declined very rapidly over the past three decades.[12]
Psittacula roseata in Kaziranga National Park, Northeast India (2020)
The species is vulnerable to habitat loss especially in degraded lowland deciduous dipterocarp forests.[12] Human pressures such as agricultural land conversion, hunting, and climate change increase disturbances to Blossom-headed parakeet habitats. Parakeet species are also highly impacted by poaching and trapping for the cage-bird trade.[13]
Blossom-headed parakeets commonly frequent farm edges and rural villages in flocks of 20 to 30 birds, causing damage to agricultural crops.[2] The species was found to be the highest contributor to depredation of marigold crops in a 1994 study in India. The parakeets preferred to feed from flowers near perching sites and away from human activity.[14]
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.
^Leupen, Boyd T.C.; Chng, Serence C.L.; Siriwat, Penthai; Shepherd, Chris R. (2023). "Trade in Native Birds at Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok, Thailand". Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society. 65 (2): 51–84.
