Blue-winged parakeet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Malabar parakeet
Male in Mangaon, Raigad, Maharashtra
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Psittacula
Species:	columboides

The blue-winged parakeet, also known as the Malabar parakeet (Psittacula columboides), is a special type of parakeet. It lives only in the Western Ghats mountain range in southern India.

These birds often fly in small groups through open areas in forests. They make loud, screeching calls that sound different from other parakeets in their area. You can spot them by their long blue tails with yellow tips. Their dark wings with blue colors stand out against their dull grey heads and bodies. It's easy to tell adult male and female parakeets apart by the color of their beaks.

What Does the Malabar Parakeet Look Like?

The blue-winged parakeet is mostly bluish-grey. It has a long tail that ends with a yellow tip. Both male and female parakeets have a complete black ring around their neck.

Differences Between Males and Females

• The male has a bluish-green edge below his black neck collar. His upper beak is red with a white tip.
• The female has an all-black beak. She only has the black neck collar.
• The female looks a bit like the female plum-headed parakeet. However, the plum-headed parakeet has a wide yellow collar, which helps tell them apart.

Their Calls and Habits

Flocks of these parakeets fly through the forest. They make a series of screeching keek-keek-keek calls as they go.

Life and Family of the Malabar Parakeet

Malabar parakeets usually breed during the dry season. This happens after the northeast Monsoon rains. Their chicks are ready to fly before the southwest Monsoon begins in June.

Nesting and Eggs

• They build their nests in holes in trees. They often choose tall trees like the Mesua ferrea.
• They especially like old nests made by woodpeckers and barbets.
• The birds start breeding in December.
• Eggs are laid in December and January.
• A female usually lays about 4 eggs.
• The eggs hatch after about 23 days.

Raising the Chicks

• At first, the female sits on the eggs to keep them warm. The male brings her food.
• Later, the male takes over some of the brooding duties.
• The chicks learn to fly in about a month. Then they leave the nest.
• The closest living relative to this parakeet is Layard's parakeet. This bird lives only in Sri Lanka.

Where Do Malabar Parakeets Live?

This parakeet species lives only in the Western Ghats. This mountain range stretches from about 19°N (near Kasa, north of Bombay) down to Kerala in India. They also live in the hills of the Palnis and Nilgiris. You can find them in the nearby Eastern Ghats too, including the Biligirirangan range. They might even live further east in the Kolli Hills.

Malabar Parakeets and People

In the past, these birds were sometimes kept as pets. They were known as the "Bababudan Parrot" in the pet trade. Some people thought they were very good at talking, but this was not always true.