Alexandrine Parakeet
| Alexandrine Parakeet | ||||||||||||||
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
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| Psittacula eupatria Linnaeus, 1766 |
The Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria) is a parrot which is a resident breeder from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia.
It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds and blossoms, which make up its diet. It causes considerable damage to fruit plantations and grain and rice fields.
Alexandrine Parakeet is a bird of forest, open woodland and cultivation. It is scarce in much of its range. It nests in holes in large trees, laying 2-4 white eggs.
This is a green parrot, 58-62 cm long with a tail up to 35cm. The male's head is green with grey-blue cheeks and nape. There is a broad black chin stripe and a pink nape band. There is a red shoulder patch and the tail is bluish-green tipped yellow. The bill is red.
The female and young birds lack the black chin stripe and pink nape band and are duller. There are five races, differing in mostly minor plumage details.
Alexandrine Parakeet is a gregarious and noisy species, forming huge flocks at the evening roosts. Its flight is swift and direct, and the call is a loud scream, similar to, but deeper than Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri).
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