NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red-breasted Parakeet
Psittacula alexandri (Linnaeus, 1758)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The red-breasted parakeet (Psittacula alexandri) is a parrot native to Southeast Asia. It is among the more widespread species of the genus and is the species which has the most geographical variations. It is easily identified by the large red patch on its breast. An alternative name is the moustached parakeet depending on subspecies. Most of the subspecies are confined to minuscule islands or a cluster of islands in Indonesia. One subspecies occurs in the Andaman Islands, and one subspecies occurs in continental Southeast Asia and partly extending to northeastern parts of South Asia along the foothills of the Himalayas. Some of the island races may be threatened by the wild bird trade. The nominate race, which occurs in Java, is close to extinction.
Feral populations of this species have now established themselves in cities like Mumbai and Singapore. Small numbers occur in other cities such as Chennai and Bangalore in India.
Wikipedia contributors, Red-breasted parakeet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:50:03.522191+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Psittacula alexandri (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Red-breasted Parakeet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Psittacula
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittaculidae
- genusPsittacula Cuvier, 1800
- speciesPsittacula alexandri (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Psittacula. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Blue-winged ParakeetPsittacula columboides (Vigors, 1830) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Derbyan ParakeetPsittacula derbiana (Fraser, 1852) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Alexandrine ParakeetPsittacula eupatria (Linnaeus, 1766) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blossom-headed ParakeetPsittacula roseata Biswas, 1951 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Seychelles ParakeetPsittacula wardi (E. Newton, 1867) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Echo ParakeetPsittacula eques (Boddaert, 1783) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Plum-headed ParakeetPsittacula cyanocephala (Linnaeus, 1766) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Newton's ParakeetPsittacula exsul (A. Newton, 1872) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extinct |
| Gray-headed ParakeetPsittacula finschii (Hume, 1874) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Slaty-headed ParakeetPsittacula himalayana (R. Lesson, 1831) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Long-tailed ParakeetPsittacula longicauda (Boddaert, 1783) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Psittacus alexandri Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=177641 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4PKC7. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.