The intermediate parakeet (''Psittacula intermedia'') or Rothschild's parakeet was a kind of parakeet reported from the sub-Himalayan region of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and was described on the basis of about seven undated specimens. Similar individuals have been noted in captivity and the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

is now believed to be a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

between ''

Psittacula himalayana 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 ...

'' and ''

Psittacula cyanocephala The plum-headed parakeet (''Psittacula cyanocephala'') is a parakeet in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent and was once thought to be conspecific with the blossom-headed parakeet (''Psittacula roseata'') but was late ...

''. More recent captive specimens that appeared similar were found to be hybrids produced by crosses between ''

Psittacula krameri The rose-ringed parakeet (''Psittacula krameri''), also known as the ring-necked parakeet (more commonly known as the Indian ringneck parrot), is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ran ...

'' and ''

''. An analysis of the characters of the specimens suggests that the originally described ''P. intermedia'' was a hybrid between ''P. cyanocephala'' x ''P. himalayana''.Rasmussen, P. C. & N. J. Collar. 1999. On the hybrid status of Rothschild's Parakeet ''Psittacula intermedia'' (Aves, Psittacidae). Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. London (Zoology) 65:31-5
PDF
/ref>Rasmussen, P. C. & N. J. Collar. 1999. Little-known Oriental non-bird. Intermediate Parakeet ''Psittacula intermedia''. Oriental Bird Club Bulletin 29:36-41

Description

This parakeet has never been seen in the wild. Six of the seven specimens are considered to show signs of captivity. The characters are intermediate between the ''cyanocephala'' and ''himalayana'' with considerable variation among the specimens. The intermediate parakeet is 36 cm long, wing length 15 - 16 cm, tail length 16.5 - 19.5 cm. This is a mainly yellowish-green parrot with a slaty-purple head bordered below by a broad black cheek stripe which becomes a narrow band across nape. The forehead back to the eye area has a pink-purple tinge. There is a reddish-brown patch on the wing-coverts. The tail feathers are purple with yellowish-white tips, and yellow undersides. The upper mandible is reddish with a yellow tip, and the lower mandible yellowish. The female has a smaller red wing patch, and more slaty head.

References

External links

World Parrot Trust
Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profiles {{Taxonbar, from=Q6047338 Psittacula Bird hybrids fr:Perruche intermédiaire