- Psittacara erythrogenys
Identification
33 cm (33 in)
- Red forehead, crown and face
- Bright green overall plumage
- White eye-ring
- Red underwing coverts, thighs, and the leading edge of the wings
Juveniles differ in having red in the face restricted to just the area surrounding the bill.
For information regarding identifying Red-masked Parakeet from hybrids with Mitred Parakeet, see this thread in the ID forum.
Distribution
South America: found in western Ecuador and Peru down to around Lima. Naturally seems to be limited to less than 1100 m asl, but are currently found also in Quito and similar places, possibly due to escaped birds forming feral populations.
Feral in the USA (California, Hawaii, parts of Florida), and in Puerto Rico. Feral flocks may be intermingled with other species, notably Mitred Parakeet, with which this species can hybridize.
Taxonomy
Formerly placed in genus Aratinga.
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Deciduous woodland and bordering areas, including acacia scrub.
Behaviour
Diet
Probably varies with season and habitat, but includes fruit. There is little other detailed information available.
Breeding
They nest in termite mounds or tree holes. The clutch consists of 3-4 eggs which are incubated for 23-24 days. The young fledge after 50 days.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Feb 2018)
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-masked Parakeet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 12 September 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-masked_Parakeet
