Red-fan Parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus)

Red-fan Parrot

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Genus

The Red-fan Parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus), also known as the Hawk-headed Parrot, is an unusual New World parrot hailing from the Amazon Rainforest. It is the only member of the genus Deroptyus.

Physical charateristics

General plumage green; forehead and crown dull whitish; lores and cheeks dark brown with whitish streaking; elongated nape as feathers well as those to breast and abdomen dark red with broad blue edging; primary-coverts and primaries brownish-black; secondaries with faint bluish tinge and brownish-black tips; underside of tail-feathers and flight feathers greyish-black; upperside of middle tail-feathers green with blue tinge to tips; outer tail-feathers with brownish-red base to inner webs; outermost tail-feathers with blue edging to outer webs; periophthalmic ring whitish-grey; bill greyish-black; iris yellow; feet grey.

Listen to the sound of Red-fan Parrot

[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/PSITTACIFORMES/Psittacidae/sounds/Red-fan Parrot.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

wingspan min.:	0	cm	wingspan max.:	0	cm
size min.:	34	cm	size max.:	36	cm
incubation min.:	27	days	incubation max.:	29	days
fledging min.:	60	days	fledging max.:	29	days
broods:	1		eggs min.:	2
			eggs max.:	3

Range

South America : Amazonia. Poorly known species that occurs north of the Amazon Basin, from the Guyanas and the eastern part of Para (northern Brazil), westward to southeastern Colombia, northeastern Peru and southern Venezuela.

Habitat

Found in forest and savannah woodland to 400 meter. Avoids flooded forest and cleared areas in large parts of distribution area.

Reproduction

Breeding season from November to April, nests in abandoned woodpecker holes in living and dead trees. Mostly at height of more than 10 meter from ground. A type of courtship flight has been observed in which birds flew upwards with rapid wingbeats and then at a certain height glided down with spread wings. clutch 2 to 3 eggs, incubated for about 28 days. Young fledge in about 9 weeks (captivity).

Feeding habits

Eats fruits, especially palm fruits (Attalea fagifolia, Astrocarycum tucumoides, Astrocarycum tucumana), berries, seeds, flowers, nuts, buds and vegetable matter; often forages in cultivated areas for guava and fruit of Inga sp.

Video Red-fan Parrot

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-V0tqL7s8w

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.
Several local populations were exterminated by illegal pet trade

Migration

There are some seasonal movements, apparently in response to food availability.

Distribution map

Red-fan Parrot distribution range map

Planet of Birds