Plum-Headed Parakeet
Psittacula cyanocephala
Habitat
Ground
Diet
FruiNect
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
66 g
About This Species
A colourful parakeet of open woodland, farmland, and urban parks across the Indian subcontinent, it is most easily spotted by its screeching, high-pitched calls given in flight and its habit of gathering in noisy flocks at fruiting or flowering trees. Look for it at dawn and dusk when flocks move between roosting and feeding sites, and check ripening fruit trees or grain fields where it forages on the ground and in low vegetation. It is present year-round across much of its range, so no particular season is required to see it.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- As a widespread, unthreatened species often found in agricultural and urban settings, ordinary observation distances of several metres are generally adequate and it tolerates moderate human presence well.
- Legal protections vary by country: in India it is covered under wildlife protection legislation restricting capture and trade, while in other parts of its range rules differ, so check local regulations before assuming any specific protection applies.
- Because it is sometimes targeted for the cage-bird trade, avoid any activity that could be mistaken for capture attempts, such as close pursuit or use of nets.
LCAvesPsittaciformesPsittacidae
Seasonal Activity
255,576 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
Traits
- Diet
- FruiNect
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 66 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.