layard's parakeet is a bird of forests, particularly at the edges and in clearings, and also gardens. it is locally common. it undergoes local movements, driven mainly by the availability of the fruit, seeds, buds and blossoms that make up its diet. it is less gregarious than some of its relatives, and is usually in small groups outside the breeding season, when it often feeds with brahminy starlings. its flight is swift and direct, and the call is a raucous chattering. it nests in holes in large trees, laying 3–4 white eggs.