Bird Watching - Rose-ringed Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Rose-ringed Parakeet have a green body with a massive deeply hooked reddish beak. They have a rather long pointed tail that is more than half of the body's length.The males of this species show a dark purplish color around their necks, giving the ring-necked parakeet its name. The young birds do not show this coloring on their necks, however, they only acquire it once they reach sexual maturity which is about the age of three. The female birds do not have this rose colored ring around their necks.

Local Names : Tota (Hindi)

                     Tatta (Malayalam)

                     Kili (Tamil)

In the wild, rose-ringed parakeets usually feed on buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries, and seeds. Wild flocks also fly several miles to forage in farmlands and orchards, causing extensive damage. Often band itself into large flocks and is highly destructive all times to crops and orchid fruit,gnawing and wasting far more than it actually eats. 

In captivity, rose-ringed parakeets will take a large variety of food and can be fed on a number of fruits, vegetables, pellets, seeds, and even small amounts of cooked meat for protein.

Nest is a natural hollow in a tree trunk or one excavated by the bird themselves. holes in rock scraps and walls of buildings, ruined or in occupation, often within noisy towns are freely utilized. eggs - 4-6 pure white , roundish ovals. both sexes shares all domestic  duties.

The rose-winged parakeet, has been kept as a pet for centuries and remains a favorite companion bird today. Both males and females have the ability to mimic human speech. First, the bird listens to its surroundings, and then it copies the voice of the human speaker. 

References

The Book of Indian Birds (Salim Ali)

Wikipedia

animaldiversity.org

Pictures:

Srirangam, Thiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu ( 2019)

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This is the parrot which we all are familiar with. More than flying out free , we see them mostly in cages as pets. 

These pictures were clicked during our visit to Trichy. Spotted this bird near to the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Srirangam. i was so happy to click pictures because this is the one time i am able to see them this close other than as a pet. and some pictures really give the feeling that the bird is posing for me. :)