Alexandrine parakeet
The Alexandrine parakeet, also known as the Alexandrine parrot, is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula of the family Psittaculidae, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is named after Alexander the Great, who transported numerous birds from Punjab to various European and Mediterranean countries and regions, where they were prized by the royalty, nobility and warlords.
The Alexandrine parakeet has established feral populations in Turkey,
Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Pakistan, where it lives alongside feral populations of its close relative, the rose-ringed parakeet.
Taxonomy and etymology
The Alexandrine parakeet was first described by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson as Psittaca Ginginiana or "La Perruche de Gingi" in 1760; after the town of Gingee in southeastern India, which was a French outpost then. The birds may, however, merely have been held in captivity there. Carl Linnaeus redescribed the Alexandrine parakeet in 1766 as Psittacus eupatria.The genus name Psittacula is a diminutive of the Latin word psittacus meaning "parrot", and the specific name eupatria is derived from the ancient Greek eu- meaning "well" and patriá meaning "descent".
In 2019, a genetic study revived the genus Palaeornis, formerly viewed as a synonym of the current genus Psittacula. Some organisations – including the IUCN – have accepted the new taxonomy. If this were to be taken into account, this could mean that the Alexandrine parakeet is the only living member of the now-revived genus.
Phylogeny
of the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences of Psittacula parakeets has shown that the Alexandrine parakeet diverged from the lineage that gave rise to the rose-ringed parakeet and the Mauritius parakeet about 5 million years ago.Description
The Alexandrine parakeet is one of the largest parakeets, measuring from the top of the head to the tip of the tail and weighing. The tail measures. It is predominantly green with a light blue-grey sheen on the cheeks and nape, yellow-green abdomen, red patch on the shoulders and massive red beak with yellow tips. The upper-side of the tail passes from green at the top to blue further down, and is yellow at the tip. The underside of the tail is yellow.Adults are sexually dimorphic. Adult males have a black stripe across their lower cheeks and a pink band on their nape. Adult females lack both a black cheek stripe and a pink nape band. The young are similar in appearance to adult females but have shorter tails.
Subspecies
Five subspecies of the Alexandrine parakeet are currently recognizedEcology and behaviour
The Alexandrine parakeet lives in forests, woodlands, agricultural lands and mangrove forests at elevations of up to. It eats a variety of wild and cultivated seeds, buds, fruits and nuts. Flocks can cause extensive damage to ripening fruits and grain crops like maize and jowar. It usually lives in small flocks, but forms larger groups in areas where food is abundant or at communal roosts.The Alexandrine parakeet has a variety of calls, including a ringing trrrieuw, loud kree-aar or keeak, deep klak-klak-klak-klak and resonant gr-aak. Its calls are usually deeper, harsher and more resonant than those of the rose-ringed parakeet. Its voice becomes harsher when alarmed, and it shrieks loudly when mobbing predators. Flocks occasionally excitedly vocalize together. It is known to imitate human speech in captivity.
Breeding
Alexandrine parakeets breed from November to April in their native range. They usually nest in tree hollows, but sometimes use tree holes excavated by themselves or cracks in buildings. Females lay 2 to 4 white, blunt oval-shaped eggs, measuring. The average incubation period is 24 days. The chicks fledge at about 7 weeks of age, and are dependent on their parents until 3 to 4 months of age.Aviculture
Alexandrine parakeets are relatively popular pet birds due to their long lifespan in captivity, playful behaviour and ability to mimic human speech. Alexander the Great is thought to have kept one as a pet. They are one of the most sought-after cage birds in the Indian market. According to CITES trade data, at least parakeets were imported into countries outside their native range between 1981 and 2014.Color variants including lutino, albino, and blue are well-established in captivity.
The World Parrot Trust recommends that captive Alexandrine parrots be kept in a metal or welded mesh enclosure of minimum length.