Rose-Ringed Parakeet

With its piercing cry and fluorescent green colour, the rose-ringed parakeet is a striking bird, particularly in the Randstad conurbation. They don’t come from here originally, but were brought from southern Asia or Central Africa as pets. Several escaped from captivity. Sometimes owners let them go on purpose because they are difficult to tame, can give you a sharp bite and make a lot of noise. The birds spend the night together brooding high in the trees. The rose-ringed parakeet sits on its eggs in abandoned nests made by woodpeckers, for example. The parakeets survive Dutch winters thanks to people feeding them. They are particularly fond of peanuts.

This specimen comes from the collection of Coenraad Jacob Temminck, the first director of the National Museum of Natural History.