How to Identify Three Similar Species

Abstract

In these days of ever dwindling bird populations, captive and wild, we who attempt to maintain a viable breeding program can no longer afford to identify species incorrectly and mismatch our breeding pairs. In the genus Psittacula there exist three species which the untrained eye can easily confuse with one another. The three are paired erroneously with little or no breeding success being the result. We will attempt to remove the veil of mystery to the proper identification of the three.

The Blossom-headed, Plum-headed and the Slaty-headed Parakeets are probably the most often confused and mismatched trio in aviaries today. The most common of birds in years past, the three have become increasingly less available. We should make every effort to insure that we do not waste our more limited supply of breeding stock.

The Plum-headed and Blossomheaded hens are the most commonly confused with one another from what we see when visiting other's aviaries. They are very similar in appearance, hut they much prefer to he with their particular species and they know the difference.

While hoth have gray heads and green bodies, the trim is different and these differences are easy to spot once you know what to look for. The Blossom-headed hens have maroon "blood patches" on their wings and their tails are yellow tipped. In contrast, the Plum-headed hens have no wing patch and their tails are tipped in white. The Plum-headed hen also sports a yellow neck ring just helow its gray head and the Blossom-headed does not.

The male Plum-headed has a reddish purple head and a tail with a white tip. In contrast, the male Blossom-headed has a light pink head and a yellow tipped tail.

The most easily recognized differ-

ence between the Slaty-headed and the Blossom-headed/Plum-headed group is the Slaty-headed's reddish upper mandible with a yellow tip. It is a radical departure from the yellow or yellow/orange upper mandible of the Blossom-headed/Plum-headed group. In addition. both sexes of the Slatyheaded possess a pure gray head with both sexes having a black neck ring and "moustache".

The male and female Slaty-headed can easily he distinguished from one another by the male's maroon wing patches and the female's lack of them. This is the only visible difference I have so far detected, hut it always works. Occasionally I have seen females with a maroon feather or two showing as a wing patch hut it is obviously smaller than the male's patch and barely visible. You will probably never encounter this hut it does show up now and then.

The two species of Slaty-headeds can easily he identified and distinguished from one another. The P bimalayana is the larger of the two types. It possesses a blue tail tipped with yellow. The Pfi.nschii subspecies sports a violet/blue tail tipped with white.

I realize this is considerable information to digest so 1 have devised a dichotomous key to serve as a quick, handy reference to make it easier. The word dichotomous may sound forbidding hut it only means divided into two parts. In this key you are given two choices for distinguishing characteristics such as beak color, tail color, etc. 'You first choose the characteristic under capital "A" or "B", which is beak color. The next step is to choose "1" or "2" under The "A" or "B" heading you have previously chosen. This will give you the species. Then choose the small "a" or "b" under the"]" or "2" you have chosen to determine the sex ..

To promote greater breeding success with what we sti!l have available, it would he advantageous if we each specialized in a particular genus or species instead of haphazardly choosing whatever comes along. In this manner we could more readily learn about the various behaviors of a small group and become more proficient in their management and then share what we learn. Duplication of errors could he avoided and greater successes could be achieved by many instead of by a privileged few. 

 

 

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