Blossom-headed Parakeet

P. roseata is a lime-green parrot, 30 cm (12 in) long with a tail up to 18 cm (7.1 in). It weighs on average 2.9-3.1 oz (85-90 g). The male's head, cheeks, and ears are pink becoming pale blue towards the back of the crown and nape. There is a narrow black neck collar and a black chin stripe. There is a reddish brown shoulder spot on the inner middle wing coverts. Long, central tail feathers are blue and tipped with pale yellow. Side tail feathers are yellow green and tipped with pale yellow. The upper mandible is orange yellow, and the lower mandible is a dark grey. Eyes are pale yellow. The female P. roseata differs with a pale blue grey head and the black neck collar is instead yellow green. The red shoulder spot is smaller among females, the upper mandible is yellow, and the lower bill is a dark grey.

P. r. juneae, a subspecies, is similar in description to P. r. roseata, except it has a more yellowish plumage and the red wing patch is larger. The central tail feathers are paler in colour and the side tail feathers are yellower. Immature and juvenile birds have a green head and a grey chin. Both mandibles are yellowish and there is no red shoulder patch. Juvenile birds have grey eyes. The different head colour and the yellow tip to the tail distinguish this species from the similar plum-headed parakeet (H. cyanocephala).

This species is a resident breeder in Southeast Asia. The range expands from eastern Bangladesh, Bhutan, northeast India and Nepal, eastwards into Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and also China. It is a non-migratory bird and lives year-round in the same range. The blossom-headed parakeet inhabits lowland and foothill open forests. It occurs in altitudes around 1500m and in light forests such as savannas, secondary growth forests, forest edges, clearings, and cultivated areas. In Thailand, the blossom-headed parakeet is common in cultivated land and forest outskirts.

The blossom-headed parakeet nests in holes in trees, laying 4-5 white eggs. It undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit and blossoms which make up its diet. The species is normally found moving in small flocks or in family groups, and often in the company of moustached parakeets. Blossom-headed parakeet class are described as having a range of raucous calls, sometimes being gregarious and noisy or soft and melodic much like the plum-headed parakeet (P. cyanocephala).