Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
low |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
147 g |
Population justification: Psittacula alexandri is considered common across most of its range, however has undergone declines in Thailand, Lao PDR, Hainan (China) and more recently in Indonesia (Juniper and Parr 1998, Collar et al. 2020, Lewthwaite et al. 2021, Timmins et al. in press). However, the global population has not been quantified, nor have there been any surveys which allow an estimation of the population. Therefore, the population size is unknown.
Trend justification:
P. alexandri has suffered from habitat loss across much of its range, with c. 16% of forest lost over three generations from 2000 and 2023 (Global Forest Watch 2024, based on data from Hansen et al. [2013] and methods disclosed therein). However, forest loss data alone may overestimate declines in the population, as the species utilises secondary regrowth, as well as teak and coconut plantations, rural gardens, parks, and urban areas (Juniper and Parr 1998, Neo 2012, Collar et al. 2020). However, when forest loss or degradation from selective logging practices reduces the availability of tree cavities (required for nesting), declines are still suspected (Snyder et al. 2000, Berryman et al. 2024).
The biggest impacts however are incurred from the domestic and international trade of the species. In Indonesia, trade is thought to have contributed to rapid declines in the population on Java and Bali (Snyder et al. 2000, Eaton et al. 2015, Collar et al. 2020). The declines in the island populations, from trade or otherwise, also indicate a risk of local extinctions. Particularly, declines are apparent on the Kangean Islands, where the endemic subspecies kangeanensis was reported as ‘frequently seen’ in 2007-2008, occurring in flocks of three to ten individuals (Irham 2016), but was not recorded in 2016 (Budiman et al. 2018), and in 2023, several surveys in suitable habitat at dawn/dusk (when the species is most active) only recorded a total of five to seven individuals (Berryman et al. 2024). Trapping of the bird is suggested as the principal cause of declines on Kangean (the species is exported to mainland Java where it is heavily traded) but selective logging has also left few hollow-bearing trees remaining in the western half of Kangean’s central ridge forest (Berryman et al. 2024). Additionally, subspecies perionca on Nias Island (Collar et al. 2020) and dammermani on Karimunjawa Island are now considered rare (Susanto 2012 in Eaton et al. 2015).
The species’ prevalence in weekend trade markets also appears to have declined in Bangkok since the 1960s (McClure and Chaiyaphun 1971, Chng and Eaton 2016), suggesting declines, and the well-established parakeet trade in Lao PDR is thought responsible for the disappearance of the species from the north of this country (Duckworth et al. 1999, Timmins 2014, Collar et al. 2020, Timmins et al. in press). On Hainan, China, the species was significantly trapped for the pet trade in the 1960s, which appears to have contributed to its substantial decline on the island (Lewthwaite et al. 2021). Recent records of the species include seven in 2010 and four in 2017, when the species was previously recorded in the hundreds in the late 1800s through to the 1960s (Lewthwaite et al. 2021). There are also reports of the trade of this species from Viet Nam (Eaton et al. 2017, Leupen et al. 2022), Myanmar (Khaing 2019), Bangladesh (Khaing 2019, TRAFFIC 2024), India (Poonia et al. 2022, TRAFFIC 2024), Nepal (Thapa and Thakuri 2009 in Khaing 2019), and China (Dai and Zhang 2017), with international trade also a significant driver (Collar et al. 2020, TRAFFIC 2024).
Few data are available for determining the extent to which the above will have driven declines however. One study, focussing on Sundaic Indonesia, estimated a 90% reduction in the population over three generations due to hunting, as determined by estimating the proportion of the range within 5 km of a forest edge (Symes et al. 2018). Elsewhere, declines are likely to have been less severe, and the species does remain common in several parts of its range (eBird 2024).
Overall, declines are suspected to be ongoing at a rate of 20-29% over three generations.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Red-breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/red-breasted-parakeet-psittacula-alexandri on 04/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 04/12/2024.
