This pair of Long-tailed parakeets perched in a tree in a green area in Kota Kinabalu. The long-tailed parakeet is, as seen in the picture, a 42 cm long parrot bird with a markedly long tail. The male is lighter in color than the female and has more distinct black-and-red markings on the head and neck. The beak is bright red and the long tail is blue. The front of the crown is dark green. The female has darker and more mottled colors and has a dark green collar. This is an extremely social bird that often communicates loudly with other birds of its species. It usually occurs in small groups but now and then the number can reach several hundred, especially during the breeding season. It usually breeds in colonies. Its diet consists of a variety of berries and fruits such as papaya, betel nuts, seeds and cultivated grains such as corn. It seems to be playful and is often seen playing with sticks or other materials found in the environment. The species is declining sharply due to logging and capture for the cage bird industry and is now categorized as "vulnerable".