Slaty-headed Parakeet

Slaty-headed Parakeet

Psittacula himalayana

Silhouette: Farelli (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kathmandu

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

46 Verified sightings at Kathmandu
374 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Slaty-headed Parakeet

The slaty-headed parakeet (Psittacula himalayana) is the only psittacid species to exhibit altitudinal migration. The species' range extends from Pakistan, to Western Himalayas in India through Nepal and Bhutan and up to the Eastern Himalayas in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. They descend to the valleys in winter, approximately during the last week of October.

Adults of both sexes have green (tinted with blue) feathers on most of their body. It has a dark grey (slate colored) head with a light blue tint where head meets the neck. Males feature dark maroon patches on inner wing coverts. Females do not feature these maroon patches. Males have long central tail feathers which are shorter in female birds. The tail is green at base and becomes deep blue and widely tipped with bright yellow. The parakeet features a bright red-orange upper mandible with a pale yellow lower. It also has a pale yellow eye.

The slaty-headed parakeet has a wide range throughout the Himalayas and surrounding areas. This bird is found is western Bhutan, most of Nepal, and in the following the Indian states; Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song1:01

India · 2015

© Saqib Khaliq · XC655492 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:10

India · 2019

© Andrew Spencer · XC547741 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Flight call0:17

India · 2019

© Sreekumar Chirukandoth · XC467443 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
2 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
3 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Dehradun 🇮🇳 India
~10%
2 Srinagar 🇮🇳 India
<5%
3 Kathmandu 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Loro Parque 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Slaty-headed Parakeet in Kathmandu?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Slaty-headed Parakeet sighting in Kathmandu on a given day, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 201st most-seen of the 312 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Slaty-headed Parakeet in Kathmandu?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Slaty-headed Parakeet in Kathmandu on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Slaty-headed Parakeet?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Slaty-headed Parakeet sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Kathmandu the best place to see a Slaty-headed Parakeet?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Slaty-headed Parakeet sightings, Kathmandu ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Dehradun (India, about 10%) and Srinagar (India, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Slaty-headed Parakeet live in Kathmandu?

Same genus: Psittacula

The closest relatives of the Slaty-headed Parakeet that you can see in Kathmandu (genus Psittacula, Old World Parakeets) are Rose-ringed Parakeet (about 60%) and Alexandrine Parakeet (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Slaty-headed Parakeet sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Slaty-headed Parakeet is recorded against all the birds logged in Kathmandu (46 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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