Rose-ringed Parakeets are popular as pets. The scientific name commemorates the Austrian naturalist Wilhelm Heinrich Kramer.
This non-migrating species is one of few parrot species that have successfully adapted to living in 'disturbed habitats', and in that way withstood the onslaught of urbanisation and deforestation. In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable squawking call.
Indian Rose-ringed Parakeets measure on average 40 cm (16 in) in length including the tail feathers. Their average single wing length is about 15–17.5 cm (5.9–6.9 in). The tail accounts for a large portion of their total length.
The Rose-ringed Parakeet is sexually dimorphic. The adult male sports a red neck-ring and the hen and immature birds of both sexes either show no neck rings, or display shadow-like pale to dark grey neck rings.
Ecology and behaviour
Diet
In the wild, Rose-ringed Parakeets usually feed on buds, fruits, vegetables, nuts, berries and seeds. Wild flocks also fly several miles to forage in farmlands and orchards causing extensive damage.
In India, they feed on cereal grains, and during winter also on pigeon peas. In Egypt, during spring they feed on mulbery and in summer they feed on dates and nesting inside palm trees as also attacking sunflower and corn fields.
Reproduction
In north-west India, Indian Rose-ringed Parakeets form pairs during September to December. During this cold season, they select and defend nesting sites, and thus avoid competition for sites with other birds. Feeding on winter pea crops provides in particular the female with nutrients necessary for egg production. During April to June, they care for their young. Fledgings are ready to leave the nest before monsoon.
Aviculture
Rose-ringed Parakeets are popular as pets and they have a long history in aviculture. The ancient Greeks kept the Indian subspecies P. krameri manillensis, and the ancient Romans kept the African subspecies P. krameri krameri. Colour mutations of the Indian Rose-ringed Parakeet subspecies have become widely available in recent years.
Mimicry
Both males and females have the ability to mimic human speech. First the bird listens to its surroundings, and then it copies the voice of the human speaker. Some people hand-raise Rose-ringed Parakeet chicks for this purpose. Such parrots then become quite tame and receptive to learning. They take time to mimic.
Feral birds
The Rose-ringed Parakeet has proved to be an adaptable species and its adaptations to cold winters in the Himalayan foothills allow it to easily withstand European winter conditions. It has established feral populations in India, a number of European cities, South Africa and Japan. There are also apparently stable populations in the USA (Florida, California and Hawaii) and a small self-sustaining population in Ankara, Turkey (concentrated in parks), Tunis, Tunisia, and Tripoli in Libya, Tehran, Iran (concentrated in the north side of the city). It is also found throughout Lebanon, Israel, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. There are a small number of escaped birds in Australia.
The European populations became established during the mid to late 20th century from introduced and escaped birds. There are two main population centres in Britain: the largest is based around London, where they can be regularly seen in places such as Battersea Park, Richmond Park, Greenwich Park and Hampstead Heath; the smaller population can be seen in Surrey and Berkshire, and by 2005 consisted of many thousands of birds, known as the Kingston parakeets. The winter of 2006 saw three separate roosts of circa 6000 birds around London A smaller population occurs around Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, Kent. Elsewhere in Britain, smaller feral populations have become established from time to time (e.g., at Sefton Park and Greenbank Park in Liverpool Studland, Dorset, Kensington Gardens, and South Manchester). It has been suggested that feral parrots could endanger populations of native British birds, and that the Rose-ringed Parakeet could even be culled as a result. A major agricultural pest in locations such as India, as of 2011 the Rose-ringed Parakeet population is growing rapidly but is generally limited to urban areas in southern England[9] where their preferred diet of seed, nut, fruits, and berries are available in suburban gardens and bird feeders
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