NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Slaty-headed Parakeet
Psittacula himalayana (R. Lesson, 1831)
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 slaty-headed parakeet (Psittacula himalayana) is the only psittacid species to exhibit altitudinal migration. The species' range extends from Pakistan, to Western Himalayas in India through Nepal and Bhutan and up to the Eastern Himalayas in the northeastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. They descend to the valleys in winter, approximately during the last week of October.
Wikipedia contributors, Slaty-headed parakeet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:50:27.485432+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Psittacula himalayana (R. Lesson, 1831)
- Name authority
- (R. Lesson, 1831)
- Common name
- Slaty-headed 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 himalayana (R. Lesson, 1831)
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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| Psittacula intermedia (Rothschild, 1895) (Rothschild, 1895) | synonym |
| Himalayapsitta himalayana (R. Lesson, 1831) (R. Lesson, 1831) | synonym |
| Psittacus himalayanus R. Lesson, 1831 R. Lesson, 1831 | 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=177649 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:4PKCJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.