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Layard’s parakeet or Emerald-collared parakeet (Psittacula calthorpe) is called alu girawa in Sinhala and Kili in Tamil. The layard’s parakeet is endemic to this country. This bird is named after the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard.

This beautiful bird is about the size of a mynah. It has a black line just above the green collar that separates the bluish gray head from the back, which is of the same colour. The long tail is light blue. The female lacks the distinctive black line round the neck.

The Layard’s parakeet is found mainly in the hill country up to about 5000 feet. However at times it has been observed at an elevation of 6000 feet. It is also seen down at sea level sometimes in some parts of the wet zone having descended from the hills. It is a forest bird but it prefers the periphery of the forests. It is also found in cleared patches and home gardens.

It is fairly common in its habitat. It flies fast and is quite adept at avoiding the trees in its flight path. The flight is always accompanied by an irritating screeching sound. This is an arboreal bird that descends to the ground very rarely unlike the blossom-headed and the rose-ringed parrots.

Layard’s parrot nests in the holes in large trees. The breeding season is during the early part of the year, from January to May. Two to three white eggs are laid. Like in the other species the nestlings are born blind and naked. Once the breeding season is over the pair joins small flocks and goes foraging for food.

Mr. G.P. Jinadasa of Shetna Poultry Farm in Gampola was one of the first to breed Layard’s parakeets in captivity. He is a keen aviculturalist and had a variety of birds in his aviary.

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