Plum Headed Parakeet Care Guide: Appearance, Feeding & Breeding

The Plum Headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala) is a vibrant medium-sized parrot native to the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. These intelligent birds live in flocks in woodlands and open forests, flying swiftly with agile turns, and are admired for their striking sexual dimorphism and relatively manageable temperament.

Identification and Physical Features

Plum headed parakeets reach about 33cm in length, with approximately two-thirds made up by their long tail. Males display a distinctive bright red to plum-purple head that shifts to a blue-purple hue towards the back, accompanied by a narrow black neck collar edged in green and a red shoulder patch. In contrast, females have a bluish-grey head with a yellow collar replacing the male's black band, and lack the red shoulder patch and chin stripe. Both sexes have yellow-green undersides and darker green backs and wings, with tail feathers that transition from green to blue tipped in white on males.

Juvenile birds start with green heads and yellowish bills, gaining adult colours after about a year. Their lifespan in the wild averages 15-20 years, but in captivity, with proper care, some have been known to live over 30 years.

Keeping Plum Headed Parakeets

In their natural environment, plum heads live in large flocks. Captivity conditions require a balance between social grouping and territorial instincts during breeding. It’s advisable to keep parakeets as single pairs in enclosures, or separate them during breeding to prevent aggression.

They can be kept in an indoor or outdoor aviary or a large cage but require plenty of space and daily supervised time out of their enclosure, ideally 3-4 hours in a bird-proof area. Although hardy, especially outdoors, they need a frost-free night house for roosting to protect them from extreme weather.

Temperamentally, plum heads are gentle, affectionate, and sociable with owners but somewhat shy around strangers, requiring patient socialisation and positive reinforcement with treats. They are quieter than many other parakeets, making them suitable for apartment living, and have a pleasant melodic song with some ability to mimic human voices, especially males.

Their adolescent or "bluffing" phase requires understanding and firm, gentle handling to navigate this temporarily testing hormonal stage.

Feeding Your Plum Headed Parakeet

These birds benefit from a high-quality large parakeet seed mix supplemented with fresh green vegetables, fruits, sprouted seeds, millet, and protein sources like egg food. They prefer not to eat from the cage floor, so uneaten food should be promptly removed to prevent spoilage.

• Favoured fruits include grapes, oranges, bananas, and melons.
• Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, peas, cauliflower, spinach, and kale are excellent choices.
• Cooked beans (plain, no seasoning) and pasta add important nutrients and carbohydrates.
• Wholegrain breads and cereals (such as oats or shredded wheat) provide fibre in moderation.

Breeding Plum Headed Parakeets

In the wild, breeding occurs mainly from February to May, and again in August to September. Birds nest in tree cavities or building nooks, forming smaller groups for nesting season. In captivity, suitable nesting boxes or hollowed tree stumps approximately 25cm wide and 40-50cm high with a 7cm entrance hole are needed, ideally placed in a protected night house.

Nesting birds should be disturbed as little as possible to avoid abandonment. Females lay up to five eggs incubated for 22-24 days. Chicks fledge after around six weeks and continue to be fed by the male for several weeks. Breeding is best delayed until birds achieve adult plumage at 1½ to 2 years old.

Conclusion

Plum headed parakeets are stunning, sociable companions with manageable care needs for owners prepared to invest time and attention. Their charming melodic calls and relatively quiet nature make them suitable pets for many households, while their breeding and diet requirements are straightforward given adequate space and proper care. Experience with parakeets or similar species is beneficial, especially to navigate their adolescent phase and social needs.

For those interested in adding a parakeet to their family, parakeets for sale can be found through reputable breeders across the UK, promoting responsible ownership and healthy birds.