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Species Spotlight:
Alexandrine Parakeet
By
Leona Heraty, SCP Volunteer
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Where Does It Get Its Name?
The Alexandrine Parakeet is named after the famous Macedonian king, Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.). Alexander exported many of these lovely birds from Punjab into various Mediterranean and European countries and regions. Nobles and royalty considered this bird to be a prized possession, and its scientific name, Psittacula eupatria, means noble fatherland or noble ancestry.
Where Does It Live?
This magnificent parakeet is native to South and Southeast Asia, and can be spotted from Nepal and Pakistan, south to Sri Lanka and east to Vietnam. Many escaped birds have naturalized themselves in the wild in various European cities and countries, such as London, Amsterdam, Germany and Belgium. This avian can also be found in Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Iran and Bahrain.
What Is Its Habitat?
It can be found in dry and moist forests, mangroves, deserts and cultivated areas. Normally, this bird lives in small flocks, but if food is abundant, it may congregate in larger groups. At dusk, it may also flock to communal roosts.
What Does It Look Like?
The Alexandrine Parakeet is 58 cm (22.6 in) long and weighs 250-260 grams (8.75 - 9.1 oz). This gorgeous bird has spectacularly vibrant green, red and pink feathers, and a patch of bright red on its shoulders. Its broad yellow-tipped bill is bright red, which contrasts starkly with its dark green plumage. You can tell the male from the female because the male has a distinctive pink collar on the back of its neck and a black stripe on the front. The female and juvenile parakeet look alike because they lack the neck collar and stripe.
This avian has five different subspecies and each has a slightly different variation in color. Some have an occasional blue stripe along the top of the pink collar and some have lighter green plumage. Finally, some of the subspecies have lighter-colored breast feathers or a bluish tinge to their cheeks.
What Does It Eat?
In the wild, the Alexandrine Parakeet eats various wild and cultivated seeds, vegetables, fruits, flowers and flower buds and grains and nectars.
What Does It Sound Like?
This beautiful bird has a powerful screech, but it sounds deeper than its very-close relative, the Ring-necked or Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri).
To hear its call, Control, Click on this link, then click on the red arrow under the first listing, #177287.
Sources
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2016 Wild Amazon Release a Success!
This month, we released 36 wild Amazons back to the urban "wild" of East County, San Diego!
This year's release was especially exciting because it is the first year in SCP history that we had a 100% success with keeping baby birds wild. No imprinting! It was also the most birds we've ever released at one time. We are making history! For video from our Amazon release (and lots of other latest news),
visit us on Instagram
!
Add Us as Your Charity on Amazon Smile!
If you're busy like we all are during the holidays, then you do most of your holiday shopping online. Did you know that Amazon gives 0.5% of each qualifyi
ng item purchased to your chosen charity?
Follow the link below to add REP for Wildlife/SoCal Parrot as your charity on AmazonSmile today, and help save our parrots while you shop!
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| Parrot News from Around the World |
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Regent Parrot Populations on the Ri
se!
In Victoria, Australia the population of Regent Parrots went up significantly. There were as few as 500 parents reported. Recently, there are about 1,600 parrots found within two hours during a survey! They found three times more of a adult parrots than they thought there was! Regent Parrots are threatened in Victoria and in other parts in Australia there are they are listed as endangered.
Learn More
New Podcast: Parrots of Telegraph Hill
The parrots of telegraph hill have been a subject of locals and tourists for many years. These wild parrots (mainly Cherry Headed Conures) have been sought after by photographers and have also been the subject of documentaries due to their popularity in San Francisco. Now, there's a podcast that has been published. This information may not be new to dedicated parrot lovers, but it's still nice to know that these green beauties still spark interest for folks to generate "new" content to help raise awareness about these unique, wild parrots! You can find the article and podcast link by clicking:
Learn More
 More than just a "Pretty Bird"
Many
partisans
can support the notion that parrots are truly more than just a pretty bird to look at. A recent article highlights the intelligence and perseverance of parrots from
researchers
who studies
Psittaciformes. This article highlights the adaptations of many parrot species, including the Yellow-naped Amazon. This parrot specifically has the ability to communicate with different populations of its species using distinct dialects that remain stable over decades, like human languages. Additionally, some parrots have the power to withstand chemicals found in some plants and detoxify themselves using clay flats. Read More
Update on Orange Bellied Parrots!
In Melaleuca, Australia only three female Orange Bellied Parrots are left in the wild. Last year, just 21 Orange Bellied Parrots came back to Melaleuca for breeding season. A researcher from the Australian National University named Dejan Stojanovic says this is currently Australia's most endangered bird. Dejan Stojanovic and his team are working on this problem and will go to Melaleuca to start researching and finding ways to help the Orange Bellied Parrot population increase. They are also running a crowd-funding effort to raise $60,000 for the program to save the Orange Bellied Parrots. Learn More
Parrot Rescue Awarded Grant!
The Rhode Island Foundation has awarded the Foster Parrots Rescue with $18,000. The Foster Parrots Rescue will use the money they were awarded for vet services, education, food, and supplies for the parrots. Founded in 1989, the Foster Parrot Rescue currently takes care of about 400 parrots and is the biggest non-profit rescue of its kind in the Northeast. They are located in Hopkinton, Rhode Island. Learn More
Special thanks to SCP Volunteer, Melina Sejmenovic for help authoring this newsletter section.
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SoCal Parrot is a registered 501(c)(3) | EIN:
46-0615979
Send SCP Newsletter C
omments/Feedback to:
[email protected]
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