Parakeets at Sian Tuan: 1. The parakeets are flying in.
The regular morning and evening visits of Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) saw them settling on the roof of a few houses …LINK. During these visits they also landed on the two Coconut Palms (Cocos nucifera) found in the different gardens (above, video below).
The parakeets moved from the palms to the roof of houses, staying for a few minutes before flying off. Within a short while more parakeets flew in.
A pair of adult parakeets and a juvenile perched on a slender, vertical, central unexpanded frond of a palm. One adult perching at the top fed the juvenile blow. The adult regurgitated food from its crop and transferred it into the mouth of the juvenile below (above, video below).
The other adult, perching below the juvenile did not get involve in feeding. Before the feeding was completed, this adult flew off. Once feeding was completed, the other adult flew off followed by the juvenile.
Another adult was busy indulging in its comfort behavior. It started off with preening its body feathers, first breast, then the back feathers. It is interesting to note that if can turn its head 180 degrees to reach the back feathers. It fans out its tail feathers to preen them (above). What was most interesting was that it used its sharp claw not only to preen its head feathers but also to clean its mandibles – or can it be using the mandibles to clean its toes? (video below).
YC Wee
Singapore
17th November 2018
