NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Derbyan Parakeet
Psittacula derbiana (Fraser, 1852)
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
Lord Derby's parakeet (Psittacula derbiana), also known as Derbyan parakeet, is a parrot species, which is confined to a small pocket of moist evergreen forest in the hills and mountains of the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, and adjoining parts of Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan in China. The species suffers from cutting of old trees (important for nesting sites) and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. In 2011, its status was updated from least concern to near threatened on the IUCN Red List. The adult male and female are easily distinguished because they have different beak colours and slightly different plumage.
The name of this bird commemorates Edward Stanley, 13th Earl of Derby.
Lord Derby's parakeets feed on fruits, berries, seeds, and leaf buds, occasionally foraging in gardens and fields.
Wikipedia contributors, Lord Derby's parakeet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:25:41.112284+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Psittacula derbiana (Fraser, 1852)
- Name authority
- (Fraser, 1852)
- Common name
- Derbyan 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 derbiana (Fraser, 1852)
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 |
| 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 derbianus Fraser, 1852 Fraser, 1852 | synonym |
| Palaeornis derbyanus Fraser, 1852 Fraser, 1852 | 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=177648 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:4PKCD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.