Indian ring-necked parakeet

Male Indian ring-necked parakeet

Introduction of Indian ring-necked parakeet

   The Indian ring-necked parakeet also known as Rose-ringed parakeet (Scientific Name: Psittacula krameri) is native to southern Asia and central Africa. It belongs to the Order: Psittaciformes and to the Family: Psittaculidae. It has been kept as a pet for centuries and remains a favorite companion bird today.

How to Identify Indian ring-necked parakeet

   Indian ring-necked parakeet is a medium sized bird. Length is about 38-42 cm and weight about 135 g. These birds have grass-green plumage with a short, hooked reddish beak. They have a long pointed tail which is more than half of the body's length. This tail can be up to 25 cm long. This bird is dimorphic, that means there are visible differences between male and female. The male Rose-ringed parakeet has a distinct red and black color ring around the neck once they reach sexual maturity at about the age of three. This species is considered to be a long-lived bird. Average life span in captivity is around 35 years.
  Indian ring-necked parakeet has  well developed eyes. Retinas of Rose-ringed parakeet have two major aspects. The first is a pigmented retina which is beside the choroid layer of the eye. This layer is a relatively simple layer with cells that contain large amounts of melanin. The second major aspect of the retina is a neural retina which is beside the vitreous body in the eye. This part contains rods and cones, as well as seven other layers.

Female Indian ring-necked parakeet

Habits and Habitats

   Ring-necked parakeets are mainly found in urban environments due to greater ambient temperatures and greater food availability. They inhabit deserts, savanna and grasslands, forests, and rainforests. It is also found at wetlands like marshes, swamps or in agricultural fields as well as all of these other environments.

Food 

  Ring-necked parakeets are granivore. Their primary diet is seeds and grains. But this parakeet also eats insects, fruits, and nectar.

Call

  Adult Rose-ringed parakeet has three distinctive calls to communicate with other birds of the same species. It has a distinctive, rapid ‘kew-kew-kew’ call. Another call is deep ‘krrrr’ call which they use when they feel threatened. They also have a rather soft ‘purr’ call that they use as an aggregative sound.
  The calls of the young are different from the calls of an adult bird. Young rose-winged parakeets call sounds like a ‘yak yak yak’.

Nesting and Breeding

   Rose-ringed parakeets use holes already dug out by other species to build their nests in. Nests are, on average, 640.08 cm off the ground and about 37.8 cm deep.
  The rose-ringed parakeet is monogamous. This means there is one male that mates with one female. This parakeet shows typical courtship. In this species, the female actually attracts the male and initiates the mating by rubbing her head against the males head repeatedly.
   Breeding season of Rose-ringed parakeets is December and January and lays eggs in February and March. Female lays an average of four eggs per clutch. Once the eggs are laid, they incubate for about three weeks until the young are hatched. Both the male and female take part in caring, protecting, and feeding the young birds for up to 2 years.
  Fledging occurs in about seven weeks after hatching. They are considered to be independent once these birds reach the age of two years.