Plum-headed Parakeet
Psittacula cyanocephala
Summary 2
The Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala) is a parakeet endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Along with Psittacula roseata of the Himalayas it was sometimes known by the name of Blossom-headed Parakeet which is now used to refer only to Psittacula roseata. 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.
Behaviour 3
"On the whole, the Blossom-headed Parakeet prefers better wooded country than its Rose-ringed cousin. It is usually seen in small parties, but the birds will sometimes collect in immense flocks and commit serious depredations on ripening crops, especially in cultivation in clearings about outlying forest villages. Their flight is very swift and flocks on the wing turn and twist their way through the stems of forest trees with astonishing agility and orderliness, uttering a shrill, interrogative tooi or tooi-tooi ? as they dash along. This distinctive call, coupled with the yellow tail-tip which is conspicuous in flight, makes their identity unmistakable. Besides grain and fruit, they eat a large quantity of flower nectar whenever available, but are destructive in their methods of obtaining it and consequently of no service in cross-fertilisation."
Sources and Credits
- (c) c michael hogan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by c michael hogan
- Adapted by c michael hogan from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psittacula_cyanocephala
- (c) India Biodiversity Portal, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/26327172
