Painted Parakeet (Pyrrhura picta)

Painted Parakeet

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Genus

The genus Pyrrhura includes a rich set of small to medium-sized species of parakeets, mostly confined to dense habitats in South America. Also, they inhabit dry as well as tall rainforests which occur from sea level up to 2000m. These birds exploit several tree species and use a variety of food items, from nectar to pure seeds. All have long, pointed tails, a mainly green plumage, and a relatively narrow, dark greyish to white eye-ring. Many have scaly or barred chest-patterns and a whitish, pale grey, buff or reddish ear-patch. They typically move around in small, noisy flocks, flying swiftly at or below canopy level. Once settled in a tree they tend to be silent (especially if aware of danger) and difficult to spot. They nest in a tree-crevice.

Physical charateristics

The Painted parakeet has green plumage and a long tail. There is a thin band above the bill that is dark red, almost brown. The forehead and front of the crown is blue. The back of the head and nape is dark brown with a blue band going to the nape. The periopthalmic ring is dark grey and the irises are brown. The feathers on the upper breast of the Painted parakeet are edged in white. The sides of the throat and neck go from grey-brown to green, as does the upper half of the breast. The upper tail coverts are a dark red and part of the wing is red. Parts of the primary feathers of the beautiful Painted parakeet are blue. The top of the tail is green with some dark red and the underside is duller. The feet and bill are grey. The young ones are duller in color and very little red on the wing.

Listen to the sound of Painted Parakeet

[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/PSITTACIFORMES/Psittacidae/sounds/Painted Parakeet.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

wingspan min.:	0	cm	wingspan max.:	0	cm
size min.:	22	cm	size max.:	23	cm
incubation min.:	22	days	incubation max.:	24	days
fledging min.:	34	days	fledging max.:	24	days
broods:	0		eggs min.:	4
			eggs max.:	6

Range

South America : Southeast Panama to Amazonia

Habitat

Moist forest and edge, seasonally flooded forest, also coastal sandridge and savanna forests, clud forest in foothills and lower slopes in W Andes, ranging out into partly cleared areas. Genearally 100-1300 m, with P.p. pantchenkoi reaching 2000m.

Reproduction

Monogamous. Breeding season varies geographically throughout extensive range, but mainly January to June in north and June to September in south. Nest in tree hollow; in captivity, clutch of four or six eggs and young fledge after 5 weeks.

Feeding habits

Feeds arboreally, taking seeds, nuts, fruits, berries, flowers, and possibly insect larvae; also seen taking algae from surface of deep pools; comes to the ground to take mineralized clay.

Video Painted Parakeet

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Tlo9qPY1YE

Conservation

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
There are nine subspecies of the Pyrrhura Picta. The Painted Conure originates from Venezuela, Bolivar, Guyana, Surinam, and Brazil.

Migration

Resident throughout range.

Distribution map

Painted Parakeet distribution range map

Planet of Birds