ABSTRACT

Ringneck parakeets are also known as rose-ringed parakeets, green parakeets, and long-tailed parakeets.41, 94 Ringneck parakeets were named by Scopoli in 1769 in honor of Austrian naturalist Wilhelm Heinrich Kramer.203 Even so, some publications from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s refer to ringneck parakeets as Palaeronis torquata or “Little Alexandrine” instead of Psittacula krameri.34, 81 Ringneck parakeets look like a diminutive version of an Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatoria). They are 17 inches (43 cm) in length versus 23 inches (58 cm) and lack the purple shoulder patches.41, 202 However, DNA analysis indicates that ringneck parakeets are more closely related to the echo parakeets (Psittacula eches) of Mauritius Island.203