Tag Archives: Brazilian Parrots

Madeira Parakeet (Pyrrhura snethlageae)

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Madeira Parakeets have a very complicated taxonomy and just about all of my usual resources have something different to say.  It looks like they are currently a species on their own merit though they were once a subspecies of the Painted Parakeet and often confused with the Santarem Parakeet which has a range further north in the Amazonia National Park of Brazil.

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They are nearly endemic to Brazil with just a small incursion into Bolivia.  They are most easily seen from the Canopy Tower at Cristalino.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT MADEIRA PARAKEETS

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World Parrot Trust

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HBW

VIDEOS

The only videos I could find are on IBC and I can’t embed them so please view them on that site.

 

 

 

White-bellied Parrot / Green-thighed Parrot (Pionites leucogaster)

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The Green-thighed Parrot (Pionites leucogaster) is one of the four species in the genus Pionites of the Psittacidae family.  Originally the species Pionites leucogaster (also known as the White-bellied Parrot or White-bellied Caique in the aviculture business) contain three subspecies including the nominate race, but recent morphological work suggests the species should be split into three.

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Close-up of captive birds

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They are almost endemic to Brazil with a small incursion into Amazonian Peru.  Although they have a huge range, most of it is remote and inaccessible.  They are regularly seen from the Canopy Tower at Cristalino.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITE-BELLIED CAIQUES

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Beautiful flock!

 

Chestnut-fronted Macaw aka Severe Macaw (Ara severus)

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The Chestnut-fronted Macaw or Severe Macaw (Ara severus) is one of the largest of the mini-macaws. It reaches a size of around 45 cm (18 in) of which around half is the length of the tail.  I remember the time I first saw one at Cristalino.  I had been watching some other birds and the guide (knowing I was interested in parrots) tapped my shoulder and quietly said “Chestnut-fronted Macaws”.  I followed him to a large tree and looked up just in time to see the bird fly through the trees and disappear.  At least I got a quick glimpse!  But since I didn’t get a photo, Wikipedia has to come through.

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They do have a large range in South America and besides Cristalino, I have another chance to see them in Ecuador soon!

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LEARN MORE ABOUT CHESTNUT-FRONTED MACAWS

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Beautiful close-up foraging in a tree.

Huge flock in Brazil

Dusky-billed Parrotlet (Forpus modestus)

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The Dusky-billed Parrotlet (Forpus modestus), also known as the Sclater’s Parrotlet, is a small species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is found in the Amazon Rainforest in South America, where it is locally fairly common.

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They have a large range in South America which is split between central Brazil and Ecuador, Peru and Colombia.  They are very common in Cristalino and quite entertaining to watch!

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What a cute cluster!

Ground foraging

Foraging in a tree in a university campus.

 

Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa)

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The Mealy Amazon or Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa) is among the largest parrot in the Amazona genus, the amazon parrots.

Although I have seen this bird in several places – Cristalino, Panama, Tambopata I don’t seem to have any decent photos so I have to rely on the Wikipedia shots.

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All I could get was distant flight shots.

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Mealy Parrots have a huge range throughout South America and prefer tropical rainforest environments.  Good places to see them are Cristalino, Tambopata, Napo, Panama’s Soberania (different subspecies) and other rainforest lodges.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT MEALY PARROTS

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Noisy flock in Peru

On a clay lick

Crimson-bellied Parakeet (Pyrrhura perlata)

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The crimson-bellied parakeet (Pyrrhura perlata), more commonly known as the crimson-bellied conure in aviculture has a confusing taxonomic history. It was formerly known as Pyrrhura rhodogaster, but following a review it was discovered that the type specimen for P. perlata, long believed to belong to the closely related pearly parakeet, actually was a juvenile crimson-bellied parakeet. Consequently, P. perlata was transferred to this species, while P. rhodogaster became a junior synonym.

I got a few shots at Alta Floresta but for the close-up I have to use the Wikipedia shot.  They were being annoyingly camera shy!

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They are found exclusively in Brazil and northern Bolivia.  The easiest place to see them in the wild is the grounds of the Floresta Amazonica Hotel in Alta Floresta.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT CRIMSON-BELLIED PARAKEETS

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This little guy almost looks like he is wearing a crimson coloured singlet!

If you are under 18, don’t click on this one!  Suffice to say, these birds weren’t shy!

 

 

Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana)

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The Blue-winged Macaw (Primolius maracana), in aviculture more commonly known as Illiger’s Macaw, is a species of macaw found in central and eastern South America. It was previously placed in the genus Ara or Propyrrhura.

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They have a huge range over most of Brazil and the northern parts of Paraguay & Argentina.  Chapada dos Guimaraes is a reliable, easy-to-reach place to see them.  You can even see them in the car park!

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Close-ups in a nest

 

Adults only!

 

Red-shouldered Macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis)

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The Red-shouldered/Hahn’s Macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis) is a small green South American parrot whose taxonomy has been changed since we were there in 2012.  The red-shouldered macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis, Linnaeus 1758) is a member of the monotypic genus Diopsittaca (Ridgway 1912), one of 6 genera of Central and South American macaws. There are two distinct subspecies, D. n. nobilis (Hahn’s macaw) and D. n. cumanensis (noble macaw), and some with longer wings might represent a poorly differentiated subspecies, D. n. longipennis, which intergrades with D. n. cumanensis in central Goiás, Brazil.  Previously the red-shouldered macaw was included in the genus Ara.

My photos at Chapada dos Guimaraes are pretty washed out so I had to use Wikipedia’s shots for the close ups.

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They do have a large range, you can see where the northern and southern species split.  They can be seen in many places in Brazil but Chapada dos Guimaraes (green dot) is the easiest place to see them as they roost in the town square at night.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT RED-SHOULDERED (HAHNS) MACAWS

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Stunning close-ups of stunning birds!

Nesting pair

 

 

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri)

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The Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris chiriri) also known as the canary-winged parakeet, is native to tropical South America south of the Amazon River basin from central Brazil to southern Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina.

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I spotted this little cutie in one of the large trees at Pousada Piuval, but they are easily seen in most of the Pantanal.  Their range extends throughout most of Brazil and Bolivia, into Argentina and Paraguay.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT YELLOW-CHEVRONED PARAKEETS

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This little guy can’t figure out why he is the centre of attention!

And this one is hungry and wants everyone to know it!

 

Blue-crowned Parakeet (Psittacara acuticaudatus)

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The Blue-crowned Parakeet aka Blue-crowned Conure,  (Psittacara acuticaudatus) is a small green Neotropical parrot with a blue head and pale beak native to large parts of South America, from eastern Colombia in the north to northern Argentina in the south. They inhabit savanna-like habitats, woodland and forest margins, but avoid dense humid forest such as the Amazon.

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They have a large range in South America with the Pantanal being one of the easiest places to see them.  I took the above photos in the Transpantaneira region.  They are also commonly seen in Bolivia and Colombia with some feral populations in Florida.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT BLUE-CROWNED PARAKEETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Audubon

VIDEOS

Lovely close-up of the birds in Colombia.

Nesting pair in Florida, check out the affectionate behaviour!