The Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides) is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful of all the parrots in the world!  They are the highlight of a trip to Kerala and and I can vouch that they are easily seen in Thattekad Sanctuary.

Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides)

Here’s a link to a much better photo of a Malabar Parakeet by Devaraja N.  It’s truly amazing so please click on it!

The green shading here shows their natural habitat in the wild – Western Ghats, India from lat. 19N south to S Kerala.  For more information on how to see them, see my series on how to get to Kerala.

Malabar Parakeet Distribution

Thankfully they are not endangered and we hope they stay that way!   They are found from 450-1000m (1476-3280 ft) in upland evergreen rainforest, both primary and secondary. Also found in deciduous forest with bamboo and abandoned coffee and rubber plantations.  Here’s some more information.

Finally to finish up this profile, here’s a video clip which shows a pair feeding in the wild.