Parrots are not just incredibly stunning but, along with crows and magpies, one of the most intelligent bird families that you will come across! If you’re as enamoured by these colourful denizens of the air as we are, you will love being in India.

India is home to 12 species of parakeet – small-to-medium sized parrots that predominantly eat seeds and have long tails. Of these 12, the Rose-ringed Parakeet is the commonest and seemingly ubiquitous across North India.
 
Rose-ringed Parakeet
 © Ankur Khurana

Chatty, social, colourful and a veritable treat for the eyes, Rose-ringed Parakeets are often found interacting in large flocks. Yours truly has witnessed wonderful displays of affection among pairs, as evidenced by the photo you see below. You can tell the male apart by the gorgeous pink-black ring on the throat, while females sport a pale dark-grey ring. Their shrill “kii-a” or “kii-ak” calls are unmistakable and a good way to differentiate them from other parakeet species.
 
Rose-ringed Parakeet
© Ankur Khurana 
 
Rose-ringed Parakeets have adapted to live in a variety of habitats, including “disturbed” ones that have been affected by deforestation and urbanisation. That is why you it is possible to see them readily in urban gardens, open countryside and wooded valleys.

As you cruise down the Ganges River on our tour of some of the most exotic parts of India, and visit hallowed cities such as Kolkata and Varanasi, you are sure to be enthralled by these dainty, personality-exuding parakeets!
 
 
 
 
Ganges River Cruise * Limited availability!
Onboard the exclusively chartered 28-cabin R/V Bengal Ganga
January 25 – February 6, 2023  |  Learn more