- Cyanoliseus patagonus
Alternative names: Burrowing Parrot; Patagonian Conure
Identification
39–52 cm (15¼-20½ in)
Large for a Parakeet, looking like a small macaw.
Yellow belly and vent with central red belly stripe is distinctive. Breast mostly olive with partial or complete gray band depending on subspecies.
Distribution
South America: found in Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.
Hawai'i (Introduced/escaped)
Taxonomy
Subspecies
Four subspecies are recognized[1]:
- C. p. andinus:
- North-western Argentina (Salta to San Luis)
- C. p. conlara:
- West-central Argentina (San Luis and Córdoba)
- C. p. patagonus:
- Central to south-eastern Argentina; winters to n Argentina and Uruguay
- C. p. bloxami :
- Central Chile (Atacama to Valdivia)
An additional subspecies byroni is generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
Arid bush steppe, montane grassy shrubland, open dry woodlannd savanna.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of seeds, generally foraged on the ground but also from the plants.
Breeding
They breed colonially, burrowing into cliffs to make their nests.
Gallery
Click on photo for larger image
Subspecies andinus
Photo by Oregonian
Cafayate, Salta, Argentina, October 2015
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Alvaro Jaramillo. 2003. Birds of Chile. Princeton Field Guides. ISBN 0-691-11740-3
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Apr 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Burrowing Parakeet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 3 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Burrowing_Parakeet
