Cactus Parakeet

Photo by Francisco Paludo
Sítio Pau Preto, Potengi, Ceará, Brazil, July, 2017

Alternative name: Caatinga Parakeet

Eupsittula cactorum

Identification

25 cm (9¾ in)

• Green upperparts, nape and ear coverts
• Pale brown head, throat and breast
• Blue flight feathers
• Dull orange belly
• White eyering
• Brown iris
• Grey bill

Distribution

South America: endemic to Brazil.

Taxonomy

Photo by arthurgrosset
Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil, July 2002

Formerly placed in genus Aratinga.

Subspecies

There are 2 subspecies^[1]:

• E. c. caixana:

• Caatinga of north-eastern Brazil (Pará to north-western Bahia)

• E. c. cactorum:

• Inland caatinga of north-eastern Brazil (Bahia and adjacent Minas Gerais)

Habitat

Dry, thorny caatinga with shrubs and succulents; also woodland.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet consists of a variety of fruit including fig and cactus. But there is little detailed information.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Arthur Grosset
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Sept 2017)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Cactus Parakeet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cactus_Parakeet

External Links

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