Psittacula
Encyclopedia
Members of the parrot
genus Psittacula or Afro-Asian Ringnecked parakeets as they are commonly known in aviculture originates found 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 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.
The other two Asian genera, Loriculus and Psittinus are represented by only two and one species respectively, which occur in the mainland part of Asia. The majority of the Loriculus species occur on islands. Moreover since Loriculus is spread across both sides of the Wallace Line it can be considered more Australasian than Asian.
These parrots are mostly green plumaged, with adults having coloured heads. The bill is stout, and the tail is long and graduated.
The Rothschild's or Intermediate Parakeet
P. intermedia, found in northern India, was considered something of a mystery, as only very few specimens were known. It has finally been demonstrated to be a hybrid between the Slaty-headed Parakeet P. himalayana and the Plum-headed Parakeet P. cyanocephala.
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...
genus Psittacula or Afro-Asian Ringnecked parakeets as they are commonly known in aviculture originates found from Africa to South-East Asia. It is a widespread group, with a clear concentration of species in south Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, but also with representatives in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and the islands of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. This is the only genus of Parrot which has 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
Rose-ringed Parakeet
The Rose-ringed Parakeet , also known as the Ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that has an extremely large range. Since the trend of the population appears to be increasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009.Rose-ringed parakeets are...
, Psittacula krameri, is one of the most widely distributed of all parrots.
The other two Asian genera, Loriculus and Psittinus are represented by only two and one species respectively, which occur in the mainland part of Asia. The majority of the Loriculus species occur on islands. Moreover since Loriculus is spread across both sides of the Wallace Line it can be considered more Australasian than Asian.
These parrots are mostly green plumaged, with adults having coloured heads. The bill is stout, and the tail is long and graduated.
Species and phylogeny
- Newton's ParakeetNewton's ParakeetThe Newton's Parakeet was a parrot that was endemic to the forests of the island of Rodrigues, a dependency of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean...
, Psittacula exsul - extinct (c.1875) - Psittacula equesPsittacula equesPsittacula eques is a species of Parakeet. There were formally two subspecies, but one, the Réunion Parakeet is now extinct. The extant Mauritius Parakeet is considered endangered....
, includes two subspecies, Psittacula eques eques (extinct mid-18th century) and Psittacula eques echo - Thirioux’s Grey ParrotThirioux’s Grey ParrotThirioux’s grey parrot , also known as the Mauritius Grey Parrot, is a little-known extinct species of parakeet which used to inhabit Mauritius Island in the western Indian Ocean...
, Psittacula bensoni - extinct (c.1764) - Rose-ringed ParakeetRose-ringed ParakeetThe Rose-ringed Parakeet , also known as the Ringnecked Parakeet, is a gregarious tropical parakeet species that has an extremely large range. Since the trend of the population appears to be increasing, the species has been evaluated as Least Concern by IUCN in 2009.Rose-ringed parakeets are...
, Psittacula krameri - Alexandrine ParakeetAlexandrine ParakeetThe Alexandrine Parakeet or Alexandrian Parrot is a member of the psittaciformes order and of the psittacines family...
, Psittacula eupatria - Seychelles ParakeetSeychelles ParakeetThe Seychelles Parakeet occurred in the Indian ocean islands of the Seychelles group. It resembled the Alexandrine Parakeet but was smaller and lacked the pink colour in its collar...
, Psittacula wardi - extinct (1883) - Plum-headed ParakeetPlum-headed ParakeetThe Plum-headed Parakeet is a parakeet endemic to the Indian Subcontinent, being a resident breeder in much of the region.-Description:...
, Psittacula cyanocephala - Blossom-headed ParakeetBlossom-headed ParakeetThe Blossom-headed Parakeet is a parrot which is a resident breeder in northeast India eastwards into Southeast Asia. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet....
, Psittacula roseata - Slaty-headed ParakeetSlaty-headed ParakeetThe Slaty-headed Parakeet is the only psittacid species to exhibit altitudinal migration. The species' range extends from the foothills of the Western Himalayas in India, through Nepal and Bhutan and up to the Eastern Himalayas in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh...
, Psittacula himalayana - Grey-headed ParakeetGrey-headed ParakeetThe Grey-headed Parakeet Psittacula finschii is closely related to the Slaty-headed Parakeet which together form a super-species. It occurs from the North-eastern states of India, into Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam....
, Psittacula finschii - Blue-winged Parakeet, Psittacula columboides
- Layard's ParakeetLayard's ParakeetThe Layard's Parakeet is a parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard; his first wife, Barbara Anne Calthrop, whom he married in 1845, is commemorated in the specific epithet.-Description:Layard's...
, Psittacula calthropae - Lord Derby's Parakeet, Psittacula derbiana
- Red-breasted ParakeetRed-breasted ParakeetThe Red-breasted parakeet, Psittacula alexandri, is among the more widespread species of the genus and is the species which has the most geographical variations. It is easily identified by the large reddish patch on its breast. An alternative name is the Moustached Parakeet depending on subspecies...
, Psittacula alexandri (also called Moustached Parakeet) - Long-tailed ParakeetLong-tailed ParakeetThe Long-tailed Parakeet is a parakeet endemic to the regions of Andaman islands, Nicobar islands, Sumatra, Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia . It is allopatric with the congener, the Red-breasted Parakeet, Psittacula alexandri, except in the Andaman islands where they occur together.-External...
, Psittacula longicauda - Nicobar ParakeetNicobar ParakeetThe Nicobar Parakeet, Psittacula caniceps also known as Blyth's Parakeet is a parrot confined to the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean. At 60 cm, it is the largest of the "true parakeets" in terms of length....
, Psittacula caniceps
The Rothschild's or Intermediate Parakeet
Intermediate Parakeet
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...
P. intermedia, found in northern India, was considered something of a mystery, as only very few specimens were known. It has finally been demonstrated to be a hybrid between the Slaty-headed Parakeet P. himalayana and the Plum-headed Parakeet P. cyanocephala.