01/07/2025
The Genre Psittacula:
Among the most fascinating psittacidi we find psittacula parakeets, an extraordinarily vast genre, including 15 species, including 2 totally extinct, which presents a remarkable variety And heterogeneity among its components: it is composed of both the most common of parakeets, the psittacula krameri, which from the rarest (1), the echo psittacula; similar, the size of its representatives ranges from the slender psittacula calthorpae (just 28 CM) at the majestic psittacula eupatria (almost 62 cm) (2); no less different is then the spread range, which extends from the Atlantic Coasts of Senegal to the Indonesian islands in the Pacific (3), without counting the countless Colonies colonies of p. Krameri Manillensis in Europe and in the Americas: The Himalayan Peaks over 4000 M (2), the forests forests of India and Sri Lanka, as well as the shrublands of Africa or Cambodia, China and Laos have shaped in millions Years of evolution these beautiful psittacidi.
In captivity the species bred and studied are roughly a dozen, some of which - like the parakeet from the collar and the plum head - widely known by the great audience, while others have been now maintained and reproduced only by a narrow niche of breeders. The contribution of these enthusiasts allowed us to acquire a huge baggage of information, scientific notions and practical experiences on the ethology, physiology and reproduction of these parakeets. The direct study - of 8 species among the 10 above: except the fields p. Calthorpae and p. Longicauda, while p. Intermediate and p. Caniceps does not record almost attendance in European farms.
To consider them and describe in a more precise way, it is useful to divide the genre into four distinct subgroups, which although not presenting any taxonomic and scientific validity, gather species with common peculiarities and thick times resulting from the same evolutionary branch. We can therefore ideally divide the psittacula in the 4 following sets:
Group 1) Krameri, eupatria, echo and wardi (4): sexual dimorphism based mainly on the presence of the characteristic collar of males and on the different dimensions of body, beak and head; as much as you know, they present a more marked trend frugivora And they need a moderately fat diet; the reproductive period is certainly early when compared with that of other psittacula; the tail is pointy and has a discreet development; the wingspan is also remarkable, which suggest particular skills in the flight, while the beak It is almost disproportionate to the body; strong aggression between partners and marked territoriality.
Group 2) Alexandri, derbiana, Caniceps: sexual dimorphism based on beak coloring, good skills of cold tolerance, dark markings on neck and cheeks, but total absence of red wing brands, replaced by Yellow-Green Shades, tail less Developed in comparison to other congeners, significantly more protein and lipid diet, with frequent consummation of insects and other animal proteins, particularly coy attitude but good predisposition to become excellent pet (OSS. Pers), a particular trend for manipulation and chewing of wooden objects; the major spread is outside the Indian Peninsula, with stable populations in China and South East Asia.
Group 3) Columboides, calthorpae and longicauda: they also have sexual dimorphism related to the group just described, but they have poor ability to tolerance of the cold and tendency to nest in coastal regions with mild climate. In some cases the poor spread in captivity has been attributed to considerable difficulties of adaptation and acclimation; natured character, marked shyness and particular tendency to fat, which suggests the need for a lean but discreetly protein diet; downsized beak and head of reduced proportions . Presence of a significantly marked collar, in p. Longicauda and p. Calthorpae comes to see the presence of the "Mustache Mustache" described for the second group.
Group 4) Himalayan, roseata, intermediate and rumped: characterized by reduced size and downsized beak, particularly thin tail with drop ends, a less caloric diet, particular cap of pink or plum in contrast with a predominantly green livery, characteristic Red wing brands, later reproductive period, spread to the Indian Peninsula and the South-Eastern area of indochina; the less sharp call suggests nesting in more open areas; less aggression intraspecific (OSS. Pers); more sedentary habits than congeners. The hypothesis of evolutionary ties in this group is accredited by hybrid intersections in the wild (5)
Although this grouping is completely arbitrary, we find that the criteria used, which consider mainly anatomical and physiological peculiarities, distribution range, sexual dimorphism and reproductive behavior, characteristic traits in the livery and ethology of the species, are - with the appropriate exceptions - respected in All cases.
Many of the characteristics described are certainly a common denominator in all exponents of the genre (body body, attitudes in flight, food trends...), however, we believe that they are more or less accentuated depending on the grouping taken in exam, whose exponents differ in Similar measure from other congeners.
(1) the current population of parakeet of Mauritius psittacula echo is around 580 specimens, in comparison with the well-known ara of spix which is 130 individuals. (data 2015)
(2) the subspecies psittacula eupatria nipalensis can reach to the wild state the size of 62-64 cm, compared to other subspecies subspecies that do not exceed 56-58 cm.
(3) respectively the ranges of p. Krameri Krameri and p. Longicauda
(4) while the poor information collected on the psittacula exul before its final extinction does not allow us to properly it, the psittacula wardi can be fully placed in the first group, so that it is considered by some subspecies of the p . Eupatria
(5) it is believed that the intermediate psittacula is the result of the parallel evolution of a hybrid blood line between p. Rumped and p. Himalayan.
