These beautiful long-tailed parakeets are also known as Rose-ringed Parakeets. They are native to Africa and Asia, primarily around India where they are a common sight. In the wild they are bright green, with blue primaries and tail feathers, and a striking red beak. Their name comes from the male’s black and pink ring around the neck which begins to grow in between 1 and 2 years of age. This species is sexually dimorphic, meaning you can tell the males and females apart visually. The female Indian Ringnecks do not get a black and pink collar.
While Ringnecks are not always cuddly birds, they are usually very talkative and engaging with their owners, able to have clear vocabularies and a good ability to learn tricks. Some young Ringnecks go through a bluffing stage, and during this time it is important to continue to work with your bird daily using positive reinforcement and socialization.
The popularity of these birds as pets is increasing, but it is important to keep in mind they can be screechy, and do require a generous cage size to accommodate their long tails and high activity level. Their are also a few color mutations now beyond the wild-type green, such as: blue, grey, yellow, and even violet. With appropriate diet and exercise, these parrots have an average lifespan of about 25 years.