The brilliant flash of blue on a canopy branch catches your eye as a charming little parrot comes into view. You gaze in delight at the beautiful plumage of the Blue-rumped Parrot, taking in its distinguishing features. Though small, this parrot makes up for its size with its oversized personality. Known scientifically as Psittinus cyanurus,…
As an avid bird watcher or ornithology enthusiast, you may already be familiar with the scientific classification of birds. Birds belong to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, and class Aves. From there, orders, families, genera, and species further divide them into more specific groups. One such family is Psittaculidae, which encompasses all parrots and parakeets….
Vibrant green plumage, hooked beaks, and squawky voices—parrots are some of the most recognizable birds. Among the many parrot genera, Psittacula stands out for its diversity. The 60+ species display a stunning array of shapes, sizes, and colors. You’ll find these charismatic parrots scattered across the tropics of Africa and Asia. Some species have adapted…
Parrots of the family Psittaculidae stand out with their bright plumage, curved beaks, intelligence, and often loud voices. This diverse family includes such popular species as lories, lorikeets, hanging parrots, and fig parrots. You may have seen these colorful birds in pet stores and wondered about their origins. Or maybe you caught a glimpse of…
Have you ever wondered about those bright, colorful tropical birds with curved beaks that can talk and mimic sounds? Known for their intelligence and vocal abilities, parrots make popular human companions. But there’s much more to these birds than mimicking speech. Parrots comprise a scientific order called Psittaciformes, containing over 350 species of parrots, parakeets,…
Psittacula parakeets are amazing birds! There are so many different kinds. They live in the tropics of the Old World. This includes Africa, Asia, and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. These parakeets come in all the colors of the rainbow! Their feathers are bright and beautiful. They also make a lot of noise…
The Seychelles Parakeet (Psittacula wardi) was a beautiful green parrot native to the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean. As its common name suggests, this vibrant bird was endemic to the Seychelles, found nowhere else in the world. Tragically, despite its beauty and uniqueness, the Seychelles Parakeet eventually went extinct in the early 20th century due to…
As researchers of endangered species, we often lament the extinction of creatures that vanish before we can fully understand them. The Newton’s parakeet also known as the Rodrigues parakeet or Rodrigues ring-necked parakeet, a small vividly-colored bird native to the Seychelles islands, represents one such loss; it was driven to extinction in the early 20th century before…
The extinct Mascarene Grey Parakeet (Psittacula bensoni) was a unique parrot species found only on the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. Once abundant across Mauritius, Réunion and possibly other islands, this brilliantly colored parakeet disappeared in less than 200 years following human colonization of the islands. Today, the Mascarene Grey Parakeet serves as a…
The Slaty-headed Parakeet (Psittacula himalayana) is a beautiful bird that makes a delightful pet for the right owner. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about this parrot species, from their appearance and behavior to how to care for them properly. An Introduction to the Slaty-headed Parakeet The Slaty-headed Parakeet, sometimes called the…
