Psittacula alexandri
The Red-breasted Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri) is a strikingly beautiful, medium-sized parrot endemic to Southeast Asia and parts of the Indian subcontinent. Measuring approximately 33-35 cm (13-14 inches) in length, including its long tail, and weighing around 120-160 grams (4.2-5.6 oz), this species is easily identifiable by its prominent rose-red to pinkish-purple breast and abdomen. Its plumage is predominantly green on the upperparts, contrasting with a dark chin stripe and a distincti...
This adaptable parakeet primarily inhabits open woodlands, forest edges, cultivated areas, and urban parks, often found near human settlements. It typically occurs at low to moderate elevations, generally below 1000 meters (3,300 feet).
Their diet consists mainly of a wide variety of fruits, berries, seeds, nuts, nectar, and flowers. They also consume grains and occasionally insects, foraging by gleaning from vegetation.
Red-breasted Parakeets are highly social and diurnal, spending their days foraging and interacting in pairs or small flocks, which coalesce into larger communal roosts of hundreds of individuals at night. They employ an active foraging strategy, gleaning fruits, seeds, and blossoms from trees and...
The Red-breasted Parakeet has a broad but fragmented native distribution across the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Its breeding range extends from northeastern India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, eastward through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Southern populations are found on...
Least Concern
- The Red-breasted Parakeet is named Psittacula alexandri, a specific epithet believed to commemorate Alexander the Great, whose expeditions are said to have introduced parakeets from Asia to Europe. - Despite declines in their native range due to habitat loss and the pet trade, this species has ...