Parrots - Psittcidae
Parrots are birds found in most warmer climates such as that of the tropical regions.  Basically, Parrots are usually grouped into two main families. The "true" Parrots -under Psittacidae and those looking like Parrots - Cacatuidae. The Cockatoos are examples. Lastly another group- Lorikeets. they can be said to be the third group, Loriidae. But now most often considered a subfamily of the Psittacidae . The latter 2 groups of birds commonly found in Australia and none in Malaysia. Just some background to start this subject of Parrots.

World wide, there are 358 species that come under this groupings. In South-east Asian tropical forest  - 11 species. Malaysia itself has  5 species. Parrots in Malaysia are small to medium size when compared to those seen for example in Australia. Malaysian Parrots are seldom seen and it is hard to accidentally bump into them. But if they are around, you could easily detect their presence. By their noisy calls and that they move around in flocks.

Some main characteristic features of Parrots. they have strong curved bill, stand upright, strong legs with zygodactyl feet [with two toes facing forward and two toes facing rearward on each foot]. Like most Parrots, Malaysian Parrots are green with some other colors on the head or neck. Such colors do not go the extend of making them colorful or outstanding. They by their silhouette are nice looking birds. Our Parrots are not known to imitate human voices but their appearance as Parrots too make them popular pets.

In the wild, Parrots being vegetarian, feeds on seeds, nuts, fruit, buds and other plant materials. They build their nests in holes found on trees.

Of the couple frequently seen species, the Blue-crowned is specially picked as a caged birds. I suppose they poachers have no difficulties in locating them and bringing them home.

While in cage, passer-by could also detect their presence by their incessant sharp calls.

PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae
Blue-rumped Parrot Psittinus cyanurus Near-threatened
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri  
Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda Near-threatened
Vernal Hanging-Parrot Loriculus vernalis  
Blue-crowned Hanging-Parrot Loriculus galgulus

 

1. Blue-rumped Parrot - Psittinus cyanurus

This Parrot at 19 cm behaves similarly as the more common Blue-crown Hanging Parrot. It also shares the same type of habitats that is broad leaves lowland forest and forest edge.

What differentiate this bird from the Hanging Parrots is that it appear broader. To me I feel that it moves or changes places of feeding less frequent. The bird remained at a single spot foraging slowly. The few encounters I had with the birds in Perdik was that the birds moves in family of few birds. and with its typical call to signify its presence in the area.

This is a rare bird that is not easily spotted because of its small size and it keeps its distance with human. Robson wrote that the bird is resident in Sumatra and Borneo. My pictures were all taken in Perdik and Taman Negara.
 

Blue-rumped Parrot #1

Blue-rumped Parrot #2

Blue-rumped Parrot #19

Blue-rumped Parrot #20

Blue-rumped Parrot #3

Blue-rumped Parrot #4

Blue-rumped Parrot #5

Blue-rumped Parrot #6

Blue-rumped Parrot #7

Blue-rumped Parrot #8

Blue-rumped Parrot #9

Blue-rumped Parrot #10

Blue-rumped Parrot #11

Blue-rumped Parrot #12

Blue-rumped Parrot #13

Blue-rumped Parrot #14

Blue-rumped Parrot #15

Blue-rumped Parrot #16

Blue-rumped Parrot #17

Blue-rumped Parrot #18

Blue-rumped Parrot #21

Blue-rumped Parrot #22

2. Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot - Loriculus galgulus

One of the easiest Parrots to meet up with in Malaysia should be this Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot. In fact, this could be the only Parrot you could see, if you are ever out on a trip to look for one.

Though not so commonly seen, the bird is found in most places in peninsula Malaysia. A lowland bird usually and one that avoid the high mountains. Though a forest bird in nature, it is found mostly in forest edge and those with human settlements. That could also classify the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot as a garden bird if you garden is in very remote places like Taman Negara. With its habit of staying near human and such a cute bird, widespread poaching for the pet shop trade has reduced the population of this bird.

I have seen the bird feeding alone but most occasions there was another bird somewhere nearby. It could be in pair though they did not feed side by side. The most number of birds I have seen at one time, was in Taman Negara. In the compound of the chalet where I normally stay during my visit. On almost all previous trips, there would be over 15 birds feeding on the same Acacia Mangium tree. Their action was that of cracking open the pods for the seeds and also gleaning the twigs for some insects or saps.

On subsequent trips to Kuala Tahan, that same tree was removed and the flock of birds did not gather at the neighboring trees. I still see the bird in other part of the compound but as a lone feeder.

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 1

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 2

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 3

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 4

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 5

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 6

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot # 7

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 8

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot # 9

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 10

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 11

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot # 12

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 13

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 14

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot # 15

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 16

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 17

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot # 18

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 19

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 20

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot # 21

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot  # 22
 

Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot # 24

3. Vernal Hanging-Parrot - Psittinus cyanurus

This is an all green tiny bird of 14 cm. Just imagine a tiny green bird, the size of a Sunbird sliding along branches. Recall similar experiences with the Green Broadbill.  The only chance of locating the bird is when its movement on the upper branches with the skyline as background or against the dark brown tree trunk. I was attracted to the bird's movement when it was flying across and making its ritual calls.

Unlike the Blue-crowned which has lots of colorful red and blue dots, this bird has none. That makes ID for the bird difficult especially it is partially hidden by foliages.
 

Vernal Hanging Parrot  # 1

Vernal  Hanging Parrot # 2

Vernal  Hanging Parrot  # 3

Vernal Hanging Parrot  # 4

Vernal  Hanging Parrot # 5

Vernal  Hanging Parrot  # 6

4. Long-tailed Parakeet - Psittacula longicauda longicauda

Contrary to the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, the Long-tailed Parakeet is known to wander. Never stays at the same tree or spot longer than necessary. When it comes to their where about, I was unable to see them in the same spot again. So I think the bird is erratic in movements and returning to the same spot last spotted hoping to see them again is futile.

The birds move round in flocks or a few birds. Smallest I have seen was 4 and largest 12 birds. Their presence remained me about that of the Sulphur-crested Cuckottoos of Australia. Large flock and announcing their presence loudly. There are gregarious , boisterous birds perched rather high in canopy level. In the old write-up, many are repeating that large flock were seen in Sitiawan area. That was in the 1980's I too met them nesting in dead coconut trunks. Since then, the whole population must be wiped out by the Pet shop trade. The pictures here on this page were taken in Kampong Coldstrean area and Mentakab.

Regularly seen in flock of 20 birds in the Taiping Lake Garden and this batch of birds are breeding among the ancient Rain trees for the last few season. The pictures on this page further down, there are quite a number of shots showing birds that do not have the clear pinkish red head sides. Their coloring is giving headaches to ID them or explain the usual colorization.

They feed on flowers and having their young in tree holes. In this first batch of pictures, the female and juvenile separated from the colorful male

Long-tailed Parakeet is also seen in pet shop, but not in the same numbers as the Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots
 

Long-tailed Parakeet  # 1

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 2

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 3

Long-tailed Parakeet  # 4

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 5

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 6

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 7

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 10

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 11

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 12

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 13

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 14

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 15

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 16

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 17

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 18

Long-tailed [female] # f01

Long-tailed [female]  # f02

Long-tailed [female]  # f03

Long-tailed [female]   # f04

Long-tailed [female]   # f05

Long-tailed [female]    # f06

Long-tailed [female]   # f07

Long-tailed [female]   # f08

Long-tailed [juvenile]    # f09

Long-tailed [juvenile]   # f10

Long-tailed [juvenile]   # f11

Long-tailed [juvenile]    # f12

5. Long-tailed Parakeet - Psittacula longicauda

This is one batch of pictures that got me frustrated. The bird obviously have red beak, short tails and rather vague pink head sides. Was very sure that they are not juveniles. So this batch I KIV, pending more information to ID Them

Long-tailed Parakeet  sub-spcies2  # 1

Long-tailed Parakeet  sub-spcies2  # 2

Long-tailed Parakeet  sub-spcies2 # 3

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 4

Long-tailed Parakeet  # 5

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 6

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 7

Long-tailed Parakeet  # 8

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 9

Long-tailed Parakeet  sub-spcies2# 10

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies2 # 11

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies2 # 12

5. Long-tailed Parakeet - Psittacula longicauda [?]

Another batch of Birds that have characteritic which are not conforming to the Long-tailed parakeet. These birds have red beak, long-tailed  wbut without the reddish pink head side. In varying angle, I make out the grey head side and grey crown. Some have green crown.

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 01

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 02

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 03

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 04

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 05

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 06

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 07

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 08

Long-tailed Parakeet sub-spcies3 # 09

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 10

Long-tailed Parakeet   # 11

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 12

Long-tailed Parakeet    # 13

6. Rose Ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri

The bird is identical in looks and size with our Long-tailed Parakeet. It is a resident of Indian sub-continent, since the bird is not common, meeting up with one is strange encounter. The bird is green in color except for the pink ring around its neck. So far the bird is a loner and so often mistaken for a Long-tailed as I don't expect them around.

This time again, up north in Penang, I had the picture taken at a distance of over 600 feet. The ID was made through the Binoculars and the shot remain as a record of sightings.

 

Rose-ringed Parakeet   # 1

Rose-ringed Parakeet   # 2

Rose-ringed Parakeet    # 3

Rose-ringed Parakeet    # 4

 

I have started organizing my pages within the theme of Birds family. So far this page on Parrot is one that I particularly fond of.

It shows the amount of pictures that I am still short of to complete the page and also I am unable to positively identify the birds pictures that I collected. For the page I merely scrapped through with a couple of blurry shots to get the page filled for future updates, which I hope should be soon. Just urging me to go back to the field to work harder.

Parrots being the top bird for the hobbyist market are naturally one of the most sort after birds as well by the bird watchers. Unfortunately in Malaysia, we have very few Parrots and those that are seen in the country are relatively small birds. As mentioned earlier, with competition from the poachers and the poorly enforced laws on the trade, it is getting even harder to spot Parrot in the wild.
 

 

Parrot's page of 2012

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