Roosting of Long-tailed Parakeet

Ng Bee Choo reported seeing about 200 Long-tailed Parakeets (Psittacula longicauda) roosting in the Rain Tree (Albizia saman) (above). She saw them flying in at around 7pm on 13th July 2013 at the junction of Sembawang Road and Yishun Avenue 5. However, when she went past the area a few weeks later, the trees there had been trimmed.

It is interesting to note that these parakeets prefers a tree with a relatively open crown to roost. Come late evening, the compound leaves of a Rain Tree will close, making the crown more open. Birds like mynas, crows and starlings prefer trees with a dense crown for roosting LINK.

Ng Bee Choo
Singapore
September 2013