Malabar Parakeet |
|
|
Also known as: Blue-winged Parakeet
Wild female Malabar Parakeet
© Bishan Monnappa
Photos
View in GalleryAcademic Research
Related publications: Nicopsitta columboidesSpecies Profile
Genus: Nicopsitta | Species: columboides
Size:
38cm (14.8 in)
Weight:
Not recorded.
Subspecies including nominate:
one
Colour Adult:
Male-Grey head and upperparts; green and cheeks; area around eyes green; blue tinge on forecrown; black chin and stripe on lower cheeks; black collar encircling hindneck, bordered below by green/blue band; green/blue lower back to upper tail coverts; green upper wing coverts scalloped with yellow/green; yellow/green underparts washed with pale blue; blue central tail feathers tipped with yellow, the side tail feathers green tipped with yellow; red upper mandible tipped with yellow, brown lower mandible. Eye yellow. Female-Green/blue band around hindneck absent; green on face and forecrown minimal; pale green mantle, breast and abdomen, often suffused with grey. Bill black.
Colour Juvenile:
Grey of head and upper parts green instead; black stripe across cheeks and around collar duller and narrower; blue/green band under black stripe absent. Bill pale orange in very young birds. Eye grey.
Call:
Calls are discordant and shrieky; also scolding. Also sharp notes repeated in short bursts.
Listen NowMore Information:
Content Sources:
CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977. 2010 edition
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Wild female Malabar Parakeet
© Bishan Monnappa
Photos
View in GalleryAcademic Research
Related publications: Nicopsitta columboidesSpecies Care
Captive Status:
Uncommon
Longevity:
Not recorded.
Housing:
3 x 1 x 2m (9.8 x 3.3 x 6.5 ft) outside aviary in warm temperatures, with adjoining inside aviary, or walk-in avairy minimum length 4.5m (14.7 ft). Use metal construction.
Diet:
Seed mix of safflower, millet, canary, buckwheat and some sunflower; millet spray; fruits such as: apple, pear, banana, cactus fruits, orange; vegetables such as: carrot, celery, peppers, green beans and peas in the pod; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, sowthistle, dandelion and chickweed; egg food for rearing; complete pellet.
Enrichment:
Bird-safe (unsprayed and non-toxic) branches with blossoms, pine, elder, willow and fir boughs, vegetable-tanned leather toys and wood block toys. Light bather, so provide overhead misters or shallow water bowls.
Nest Box Size:
Vertical box 9" x 9" x 24" (22.8cm x 22.8cm x 61cm).
Clutch Size:
4
Incubation Time:
23 days
Fledging Age:
6 weeks
Hatch Weight:
Not recorded.
Peak Weight:
Not recorded.
Weaning Weight:
Not recorded.
Wild female Malabar Parakeet
© Bishan Monnappa
Photos
View in GalleryAcademic Research
Related publications: Nicopsitta columboidesSpecies Wild Status
World Population:
Unknown, stable.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened. A BirdLife “restricted-range” species. Has a restricted range, may be in some danger from habitat loss.
Range:
Western Ghats, India from lat. 19N south to S Kerala.
Habitat:
Found from 450-1000m (1476-3280 ft) in upland evergreen rainforest, both primary and secondary. Also found in deciduous forest with bamboo and abandoned coffee and rubber plantations.
Wild Diet:
Feeds on grain, seeds and fruits especially Ficus figs, also buds, petals and nectar, notably Erythrina and Grevillea plants. A crop pest on Sorghum, other cereals, vetches Dolichos and orchard fruit.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Found in family groups or small flocks. Associates with Plum-headed Parakeet at lower elevations.
Clutch and Egg Size:
4 spherical eggs, 28.0 x 24.5mm (1.1 x 0.9 in).
Breeding Season:
December-March. Nest is high up in tree cavity.
Related Links:
Wild female Malabar Parakeet
© Bishan Monnappa
Photos
View in GalleryAcademic Research
Related publications: Nicopsitta columboidesMembers Only Resources
Please log-in now to find more research, resources and tools.
Not a Member?
Find more great information:
Gain exclusive access to 600+ pages of additional research, seminars and podcasts, specialists to ask your toughest questions, and dozens of other fun resources - when you become a WPT member.
Join Today >>
Already a Member?
Encyclopedia
