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

P. roseata is a lime-green parrot,

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. The central tail feathers are paler in colour and the side tail feathers are yellower.

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A revised classification of the genus by Michael Braun and coauthors in 2019 split the genus into multiple monophyletic genera. The proposed monophyletic genus, Himalayapsitta, includes the plum-headed parakeet, grey-headed parakeet, slaty-headed parakeet, and the blossom-headed parakeet. This taxonomic system is currently followed by the IUCN Red List.

Two subspecies of the blossom-headed parakeet are recognized:

  • P. r. roseata - Biswas, 1951 – West Bengal (India) to Bangladesh
  • P. r. juneae - Biswas, 1951 – Northeast India and North Myanmar to Indochina

Distribution and habitat

This species is a resident breeder in Southeast Asia. The range expands from eastern Bangladesh, Bhutan, northeast India and Nepal, eastwards into Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and also China.

The blossom-headed parakeet inhabits lowland and foothill open forests. It occurs in altitudes around 1500m and in light forests such as savannas, secondary growth forests, forest edges, clearings, and cultivated areas. In Thailand, the blossom-headed parakeet is common in cultivated land and forest outskirts. The species is normally found moving in small flocks or in family groups, and often in the company of moustached parakeets. or soft and melodic much like the plum-headed parakeet (P. cyanocephala). Blossom-headed parakeets are generally non-aggressive to other captive birds.left|thumb|241x241px|P. roseata in Kaziranga National Park, Northeast India (2020)The species is vulnerable to habitat loss especially in degraded lowland deciduous dipterocarp forests.

Blossom-headed parakeets commonly frequent farm edges and rural villages in flocks of 20 to 30 birds, causing damage to agricultural crops.

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.

References

  • Ouseaux
  • Tutto pappagalli