Emerald-collared Parakeet / Layard's Parakeet
Australian Ringneck Parrots
The Layard's Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae) is a parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds, buds and blossoms that make up its diet. Layard's Parakeet is a bird of forests, particularly at the edges and in clearings, and also gardens. It is locally common. It nests in holes in large trees, laying 3-4 white eggs.
This is a green parrot, 29 cm long with a tail up to 13cm. The adult has a bluish-grey head and back, separated by a green collar. There is a broad black chin stripe and the tail is blue tipped yellow. The upper mandible of the male's bill is red, and the lower mandible is brown.
The female is similar, but has a black upper mandible. Immature birds are mainly green, with a dark red bill.
Layard's Parakeet is less gregarious than some of its relatives, and is usually in small groups outside the breeding season, when it often feeds with Brahminy Starlings. Its flight is swift and direct, and the call is a raucous chattering. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard. (Source: Wikipedia.org)
Distribution: Ceylon, Sri Lanka 
CITES II - Endangered Species
Description:
General plumage green; head bluish-grey; forehead, lores and eye area washed with green; chin and stripe to cheek black; bluish-green band to nape; back and lower back bluish-grey; lesser wing-coverts grey; median wing-coverts yellowish-green; tail blue with yellow tips; upper mandible red with yellowish tip; lower mandible brownish; iris pale yellow; feet grey. Female with black upper mandible. Immatures with orange-red upper and lower mandible in both male and female; grey plumage green in immatures irregular bright green band to nape; lower back greyish-blue, iris dark; adult plumage attained by 15 months.green; back of head to side of cheek area suffused with blue; broad cheek-stripe to side of nape and narrow line from cere to eye black; collar to side of nape pink; abdomen and under wing-coverts slightly brighter green; upperside of tail-feathers green, underside dirty yellow; upper mandible red; lower mandible black; iris yellowish; feet grey. Female with dark green stripe to cheek and without pink band to nape; yellow-green collar; blue tinge to back of head absent; middle tail-feathers washed with blue; upper and lower mandible black. Immatures as female, but with shorter tail-feathers. Length: 30 cm (12 ins)
Species: Scientific: Psittacula calthorpae ... English: Emerald-collared Parakeet ... Dutch: Smaragdparkiet, Layard Parkiet ... German: Blauschwanz Edelsittich, Ceylon Sittich ... French: Perruche à colette emeraude
Related Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots
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