Plum-headed Parakeet

(Psittacula cyanocephala)

Live: Native to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka.

Habitat: Forest and open woodland, farmland, cultivated plains. Local movement may be driven by the search for food.

Diet: In the wild, seeds, fruits, nuts, blossoms and leaf buds. They may damage orchards and rice crops.

Zoo diet: Seed mix, fruit, vegetables and browse.

Gestation: The breeding season in India is December to April; in Sri Lanka from February to May and again from August to September.
To nest, they excavate holes in trees or enlarge holes made by other birds, and nest together in the same tree or in trees close by.

The female incubates 4-6 eggs for 24 days, and chicks leave the nest 6 weeks after hatching. After the first moult, juveniles have plumage similar to the female. Males have full adult plumage in their third year.

Status: Common

General: In flight their call is shrill, quieter when perching. Flight is swift.

They are usually in small groups, but large flocks may gather to feed on grain crops or to roost at dusk in trees or bamboo. They are very noisy until nightfall.