A small parrot that feeds in forest canopies on fruit, berries, figs, nectar, and seeds. It nests in tree hollows.
It is a small green parrot. In adults of the nominate subspecies, males have a blue throat patch; females have only a little blue or none.
In a tropical mixed dry deciduous forest in India, researchers directly observed 36 bird species and recorded 3,982 feeding events. They noted feeding height, location, method, and plant species. Observations took place on 12 days each month, within four hours after sunrise. The vegetation survey separated trees 2–6 metres tall from shrubs 0–1 metre tall.
Twenty-one bird species used the tree layer above 3 metres, with 3–6 metres the most frequently recorded height. Six species took nectar from flowers. The Vernal Hanging Parrot was the only species recorded feeding by flower gleaning alone, and all its feeding attacks were above six metres. Flower, fruit, and twig gleaning each accounted for 21% of the recorded manoeuvres, ground gleaning for 18%, and leaf gleaning for 11%.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Six species in the study took nectar from flowers. For the Vernal Hanging Parrot, flower gleaning was the only recorded feeding method, and every observed feeding attack was above six metres. The study documents species differences in feeding methods and height in this forest.