- Pionus menstruus
Identification
24–28 cm (9½-11 in)
- Green plumage
- Reddish flecking on throat
- Blueish flecking on underparts
- Blue head and neck
- Red under-tail feathers
- Yellow wing coverts
- Black upper mandible with reddish sides
- Blackish ear patches
Sexes similar
Juvenile
- Less blue on head
- Red or pink feathers around ceres
Similar Species
White-crowned Parrot overlaps with the northern part of its range.
Distribution
Central and South America
Central America: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad
South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- P. m. rubrigularis:
- Tropical northern Costa Rica to western Colombia and western Ecuador
- P. m. menstruus:
- P. m. reichenowi:
- Coastal north-eastern Brazil (Alagoas to Espírito Santo)
Two additional subspecies chlorocyanescens and cyanescens are generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
A wide variety of woodland and forest habitats, suburban gardens and mixed agricultural areas. Lowland rainforest in the tropical zone. Observerved at heights between 290m and 1400m.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes fruit, seed and grain.
Breeding
It nests in a tree cavity; the clutch consists of 3-5 white eggs.
Flight Action
This bird and other members of its genus have distinctive, deep wingbeats, quite different from an Amazona parrot.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Avibase
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2017)
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Blue-headed Parrot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Blue-headed_Parrot
