Layard's Parakeet Psittacula calthrapae Scientific name definitions

29–31 cm. Upper mandible red with yellowish tip, lower dull brownish; forehead and area round eye to lower mandible soft green, rest of head bluish grey shading to black area on chin and sides of neck, this in turn bordered by broad emerald collar extending around neck and onto underparts; mantle, back and rump bluish grey; wings dull green, greyish on lesser and yellowish on median wing-coverts; tail deep grey-blue tipped yellow. Female has greyish black bill . Immature replaces grey with green.

C & S Sri Lanka.

Hill forests and clearings ranging up to 2000 m, penetrating to sea-level only in parts of wet zone in SW of island.

Apparently sedentary, but altitudinal movements may occur.

Fruits of Macaranga tomentosa, wild fig and wild cinnamon, flowers of “bomba tree”, buds and nectar, with less granivory owing to more strictly arboreal habits .

Most vocalizations involve fast series of short nasal screeches such as “keh-kyeh-kyeh-kyeh-kyeh” or similar. When perched, repertoire is more varied, including squabbling conversational calls, but most notes possess same shrill nasal quality.

Jan–May, and often again in Jul–Sept. Nest usually high (10–25 m) in hollow limb or hole in tree, including Pterocarpus, Syzygium and Terminalia. Eggs 2–4; in captivity, incubation c. 3 weeks, nestling period 7 weeks.

Not globally threatened. CITES II. A BirdLife “restricted-range” species. This bird has suffered from the conversion of forest to plantation, and in some areas has disappeared completely. Still fairly common in Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area, and in forest around Kitulgala.