Animal-World > Pet Birds > Parakeet: Types of Parakeets > Indian Ringneck Parakeet

Indian Ringneck Parakeets

Family: Psittacidae

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Blue Cinnamon Male Ringneck Psittacula krameri manillensis Photo Courtesy Jerome Ventress

   The Indian Ringneck Parakeet has been referred to as the "Noble Parakeet"! The species, Psittacula krameri, is also called the Rose-ringed Parakeet and contains four subspecies.

To learn more about Parakeets and their needs visit:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Parakeet

Distribution:
   The Rose-ringed Parakeet, which includes the Indian Ringneck and the African Ringneck subspecies, is the most widely scattered member of the race of parrots and is spread throughout Asia and parts of Africa. They are found in India, China, Ceylon, Africa, Tibet, Nepal and many adjacent islands.
   The Indian Ringneck Parakeet originated in Ceylon. The African Ringneck Parakeet, its close cousin, is found from west Africa to the Southern Sudan.

Description:
   Indian Ringneck Parakeets, along with their close cousin the African Ringneck Parakeets, Psittacula krameri krameri, belong in the Psittacula genus that are known as Ringneck Parakeets. The species, Psittacula krameri, is also called the Rose-ringed Parakeet and contains four subspecies. The Psittacula genus has the distinguishing characteristic of a colored collar going around the head in the males, or a pronounced stripe running through the chin area.
   The normal coloration of the male Indian Ringneck Parakeet is a general green with its lower abdomen area being lighter and the back of the head has a bluish tint. A black ring that runs thought the chin and along the cheek. There it blends into a pink collar with some blue on the nape. The central tail feathers are bluish, tipped with a yellow green, and the outer tail feathers are green. The upper mandible of the beak is a red-orange and the lower mandible is black. Through domestic breeding, there is a large variety of color variations, or mutations available.
  The female and immature male has no black ring, pink collar, or blue tint on the back of the head. Juveniles also have a coral pink beak with a pale tip. The young reach their adult plumage after their second full molt, at about 3 years of age. These birds grow to a length of 16" (40 cm).
   The African Ringneck Parakeet is very similar in coloration to the Indian Ringneck but the facial coloring and the rose collar is less prominent on the African males. They also have a smaller beak, with the upper mandible being a dark red becoming almost black on the tip. Though the African Ringneck has a smaller, shorter body than the Indian Ringneck they have a longer tail, so overall they reach up to a length of 17" (43.5 cm).

Care and Feeding:
   Fresh food and water must be provided daily.
   In the wild, Indian Ringneck Parakeets eat a variety of seeds, berries, fruits, nuts, blossoms, and nectar. In addition to these foods, you can offer them vegetables and commercial pellets. They also enjoy the same nutritional foods humans eat, including cooked chicken. Cooked beans, rice, and grains are also enjoyed, but soft foods like these will spoil in about 4 hours. An occasional millet spray is a nice treat.
See About Parakeets: Care and Feeding for more detailed information.

Housing:
   A a roomy cage is required as these are large parakeets.
See About Parakeets: Housing for more extensive housing information.

Maintenance:
   The basic cage care includes daily cleaning of the water and food dishes. Weekly you should wash all the perches and dirty toys, and the floor should be washed about every other week. A total hosing down and disinfecting of an aviary should be done yearly, replacing anything that needs to be freshened, such as old dishes, toys and perches.

Social Behaviors:
   In the wild, these birds live in flocks and are very social. They have a pleasant nature but will develop a screaming habit if teased.

Handling/Training:
   The Indian Ringneck Parakeet is smart! Besides learning to talk, these parakeets are known to be great at learning tricks. Some have been taught to string beads on a rope, twirl sticks about their head, ring a bell, and pick up selected objects.
See About Parakeets: Handling and Training for detailed information.
  
Activities:
   Parakeets are very energetic birds! Besides flying, which is important for all parakeets, these birds love to chew! Be sure you provide them with lots of assorted toys and wood chews, perches and swings.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Unlike many parakeets, Ringneck Parakeets do not bond with a mate for life, but they are easily bred. Each pair will need two nesting boxes to choose from. Once the nest box is selected the female will lay two to six eggs. The incubation time is between 22 and 24 days and the young will leave the nest about six to seven weeks after they hatch.
See About Parakeets: Breeding and Reproduction for more information.

Potential Problems:
   These parakeets can have a loud scream.
See About Parakeets: Potential Problems for more information.

Availability:
   Indian Ringneck Parakeets are available at pet stores or from breeders at reasonable prices. They can be obtained in a variety of color mutations, including the Indian Ringneck Lutino.

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Latest Comments
We have a 12 yr. old blue Indian Ringneck. His name is KOKO. We got him from a breeder in Las Vegas at 51/2 weeks old. At one time we counted more than 90 words that he put in short phrases, as my wife talked to him all day, while I was at work. Lately, he does not say some of the early phrases. Now, he acts and sounds like he has laryngitis. He loves to ride on my shoulder, even when we are driving our motorhome, but is scared of steel girder bridges. It must be the shadows. He is also scared of new toys, but is not afraid of dogs. Go figure ollie 2009-06-01
Hi. My daughter Bianca is now 11 years, we bought her first bird, a green ring neck about two years ago a baby with few feathers on her. We all love that bird so much. She does not live in a cage, my husband made a big x-stick with stairs from the top to the bottom! For the first few months, just my daughter and I could handle her, she hated my husband and son. But with much attention and talk she loves them both, now! She goes as she pleases, and even our rottweiler dogs keep away from her, she bites their noses! In the winter, she would come in the evening and sleep inside my jacket! We give her various kinds of fresh fruits, but no avocado or bananas. She gets also dried fruit and all sorts of seeds, she loves that. She also loves to shower with us! Anita - South Africa Anita 2009-05-20
I have a 3-year-old blue female Indian Ringneck named Aeanwi, or Aea for short. But many times we call her The Dragon because we've seen how she could go crazy when she is playing with toys, or when she finds a dark little lair for herself like under my bed. She defends it like she has chicks underneath and will jump out at anyone’s feet, so we try to keep her away for dark secluded places haha! But otherwise she is lovely and I get a lot of compliments. She LOVES to be held and stroked at the back of her neck and she'll even coo and lean her head to the side if she likes you. It reminds me of a cat really, she’ll try to force you to pet her but pressing her head under your finger. She can be noisy, in fact she throws a good fit if you leave her somewhere alone and it can range from a few seconds to a few hours. I don’t bother with cages because she learns how to break out of anything (amazingly and not a good aspect of hers she even created a “birdie” door at the bottom of my wood door <she picked at the wood till she made a hole big enough to squeeze through) Though she is allowed to roam the house as she pleases, she acts pretty spoiled and expects you to get her at beck and call. When she is not being lazy she will usually walk all the way up to you and climb up to your shoulder. Sometimes she ::almost:: makes it and starts screeching will you walk over and pick her up. She doesn’t like when you turn on the light when she is sleeping and will scream after a time if the light remains on while she wants to go to bed. Or cackles! She has a very EVIL sounding CACKLE! It’s not loud but it’s irritating and eerily creepy… Every morning she is off her perch and, to my discomfort, is standing next to my face on my pillow or is at the end of my bed (I have to wash my blankets a lot) but it is very flattering in a way. She always listens when I tell her to go back to her room, though sometimes I need to remind her when she nears her destination because she really slows the pace - in case I am not watching. I think this one point is a problem I have not properly addressed because when I go near her food she comes running up and gets all puff then starts to crumble her food without actually eating it however I think its funny so I sometimes deliberately toss her food around with my fingers to get on her nerves. I think she is an eighth chicken cause she doesn’t do anything, just looks the part. I can hand feed her and I think she might like me to do so more often – because she is so spoiled – and invites herself to my food and drink. And my mouth. Sometimes I wonder if her thoughts resemble the Seagulls for “Finding Nemo” cause it sure seems like she thinks everything is “mine? Mine? Mine. Mine!” She gets super psyched at the sound of running water but she seldom jumps in (they have an adorable tail wag). She loves and hates herself. Sometimes her own reflection can keep her quiet but most of the time she is banging up against my mirror. And I don’t get her mirrors; she finds them for god knows what reason. Then again, the breeders said she was the meanest in the group XD She is super great when traveling, just sits back on her perch and cleans herself or cleans. She stays on my shoulder inside or out. I don’t clip her wings really and I have never put a harness or flight suit on her. She even pushes your finger away when she doesn’t want off and that’s usually always. One problem some families may have is that she, like our half moon conure, imprints on one person, which was my mom :D But she is always sweet to everyone though she has to gain your trust first. So far I taught her a few whistle songs like "the Godfather" them or "Pirates Life for Me" and I even taught her to say "Ahoy" She doesn’t like other animals in general and tends to avoid them. She used to try to chase our pit bull terrier mutt away by biting his toes or ears – she’s just lucky our dog is so well trained with all types of animals that he just walks away. Unlucky for me she thinks that puts her up in the pecking order… Overall, she can be very loving; she is VERY intelligent, and very noisy on her own. Easygoing with other animals including other birds. To raise this bird, you have to be very patient and give loads of attention. Even when you think it doesn’t like you, just keep singing to it and be gentle and she will learn to trust and eventually love you. Cindy Lynn 2009-04-26
Well I live in pakistan and I have 2 pet indian ring necks, 1 is 6 years old and other one is 2 month old. Well I have noticed that you mentioned that ringnecks eat boiled chicken. Well this not correct, if u give them meat of any kind, their feathers will gonna start falling, and it is confirmed because this happened to 3 parrots pet in my family friends. The exact cause pet doctor said it is due to meat feeding and something related to proteins. So whatever u feed them, don't feed them meat! Raheel 2009-04-23
While stopping at a pet store my husband told me I had to see this bird. He was a beautiful Lutino Ringnecked Parakeet they called Peeper after the Easter marshmallow treat. We fell in love. He is the biggest character. He has even picked up on my morning sneezing! He not only sneezes with me but also bobs his head up and down. He also loves Peeper Kisses and asks for them all of the time and gives kisses back. He scolds the dogs when they bark. The Ringneck is highly intelligent. We would not trade our Peeper for anything. GrandmaBean 2009-03-12
Some of the coolest comments:
Hi there, I have a blue Indian Ringneck. Nearly two years old now. Indigo was hand raised, very tame at first. After a couple of months he/she became wild and very scared especially of me and any hands. He acted as if he was abused. I kept on giving attention and was very careful when handling him to avoid touching too much. He was okay getting off from his cage onto my shoulder (as long as I kept my hands away). After about 4 months things slowly started to change. Still getting better. Indigo is now tame, talks heaps, loves me lots and doesn't bite me anymore. He has a lovely personality. Cheers Priscilla 2009-06-27
We have a large flock of green ring necked parakeets which fly over our house in West London, UK. There is currently around 2000-4000 living in large flocks in SE England and it is a joy to see them fly overhead. You can certainly hear them squark! It is rumoured that they have bred from escaped pets from the Victorian era, and have been seen as far back as the 1800's. I am doing some research on their origins and distribution when I came across your website. Lovely pictures and descriptions, but I suggest that you add Northern Europe esp England to their distribution details, unlikely as it may seem! Kate J 2006-12-20
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
I just got my green indian ringneck (KIWI) for Mothers day and am already in love. My baby is already eating with me and trying to open its cage door to come and see me. It is only one month old. Thank you for all of your comments. They are a great help. Christi 2007-05-16
hey, this web site has helped alot. iv only just gotten a little Blue Cinnamon indian ringneck parakeet. he is so fun to watch and play with. he will roll over on his back and let me tickle his tummy and he loves the cage open at all times. iv had him since he was 2 weeks old, he does talk and loves to play. he hates my lorikeet and budgie. i recommend this bird to any bird lover, although they can get very cheeky at times. so if you are thinking bout getting on one, i hope this comment has helped and GOOD LUCK. xoxoxo Scott 2006-12-11
i really like this website, it helps me alot Layla 2006-11-25

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Author: Clarice Brough, CAS