NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Blue-winged Parakeet
Psittacula columboides (Vigors, 1830)
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 blue-winged parakeet (Psittacula columboides), also known as the Malabar parakeet, is a species of parakeet endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. Found in small flocks, they fly rapidly in forest clearings while making screeching calls that differ from those of other parakeet species within their distribution range. Their long blue tails tipped in yellow and the dark wings with blue contrast with the dull grey of their head and body. Adult males and females can be easily told apart from the colour of their beak.
Wikipedia contributors, Blue-winged parakeet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:43:13.028406+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Psittacula columboides (Vigors, 1830)
- Name authority
- (Vigors, 1830)
- Common name
- Blue-winged 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 columboides (Vigors, 1830)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Red-breasted ParakeetPsittacula alexandri (Linnaeus, 1758) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Palaeornis columboides Vigors, 1830 Vigors, 1830 | synonym |
| Nicopsitta columboides (Vigors, 1830) (Vigors, 1830) | 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=177644 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:4PKCB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.