14-4-2024 KHAJURAHO, INDIA - PLUM HEADED PARAKEET (MALE) (Psittacula cyanocephala)

 

The Plum-headed parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala) is a colorful parrot that was once thought to be conspecific with the Bossom-headed parakeet. Plum-headed parakeets spend their time in flocks and fly swiftly with twists and turns accompanied by their distinctive calls.

The Plum-headed parakeet is a mainly green parrot. The male has a red head which shades to purple-blue on the back of the crown, nape, and cheeks, while the female has a blueish-gray head. There is a narrow black neck collar with verdigris below on the nape and a black chin stripe that extends from the lower mandible. There is a red shoulder patch and the rump and tail are bluish-green, the latter tipped white. The upper mandible is orangish-yellow, and the lower mandible is dark. The female has a dull bluish-grey head and lacks the black and verdigris collar, which is replaced by yellow. The upper mandible is corn-yellow and there is no black chin stripe or red shoulder patch. Immature birds have a green head and both mandibles are yellowish. The dark head is acquired after a year. The delicate bluish-red appearance resembling the bloom of a peach is produced by a combination of blue from the optical effects produced by the rami of the feather and a red pigment in the barbules.

Plum-headed parakeets are native to the Indian Subcontinent. They are found from the foothills of the Himalayas south to Sri Lanka and don't occur in the dry regions of western India. Plum-headed parakeets live in forests and open woodland, even in city gardens.

Plum-headed parakeets are gregarious and noisy birds and communicate with each other using various raucous calls. They also roost communally. Their usual flight and contact call is 'tuink' repeated now and then. The flight is swift, and the birds often twist and turn rapidly. Plum-headed parakeets are diurnal and make local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms that make up their diet.

Plum-headed parakeets are monogamous and form strong pairs for life. In India, they usually breed from December to April, and July to August in Sri Lanka. Courtship includes bill rubbing and courtship feeding. Plum-headed parakeets nest in holes, chiselled out by the pair, in tree trunks. The female lays 4-6 white eggs and appears to be solely responsible for incubation and feeding.