VMD 513: Pet animal Breeding, Management, Nutrition and Health Care (1+1)

D. Plum - headed Parakeet

THE PLUM HEADED PARAKEET  [WEB LINK ....]

The Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala) is a parrot which is a resident breeder in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The Plum-headed Parakeet is a mainly green parrot, 33 cm long with a tail up to 22 cm. The male's head is red, becoming purple-blue on the back of the crown, nape and cheeks. There is a narrow black neck collar and a black chin stripe. 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 grey head, corn-yellow upper-mandible and lacks the black neck collar, chin stripe and red shoulder patch. Immature birds have a green head and both mandibles are yellowish. The different head colour and the white tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar Blossom-headed Parakeet