The Scarlet-fronted Parakeet (Psittacara wagleri), also known as the Scarlet-fronted Conure or Wagler’s Conure, is a long-tailed South American species of parrot.
They are found in Colombia & Venezuela. I saw the “3 Amigos” pictured above at the El Dorado Reserve in Colombia.
This little guy didn’t know he was being scoped as he groomed himself.
These youngsters are enjoying a meal.
The Santa Marta parakeet (Pyrrhura viridicata) is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is extremely rare and only seen by visitng the El Dorado Reserve. There aren’t many photos of this bird online, and my sighting was distant and in bad weather so I didn’t get a shot. I only saw a pair flying through the trees across the valley and this time “Hail Mary” didn’t work.
This is the photo from the ProAves website for El Dorado Reserve which is where you go to see these birds.
This Colombian endemic has an extremely limited range in the Santa Marta mountains. The only realistic way to see them is through El Dorado Reserve.
Other people (Colombian birding guides) have been lucky enough to see this lovely bird at close range and get videos of them eating.
The Yellow-crowned Amazon or Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala), is a species of parrot, native to the tropical South America and Panama. Subspecies include xantholaema, nattereri and panamensis.
Sorry they are a bit blurry, I was trying to focus on them as part of a large group at the Napo clay lick. They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. I saw these guys at the large parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center. Also try looking for them at clay licks near Tambopata & Manu in Peru.
This wasn’t easy as there are hundreds of videos of these birds as pets but few in the wild. This pair in swift flight is very typical of how quick you have to be to get a decent shot.
This is in an aviary but at least it’s a nice close-up!
The Military Macaw (Ara militaris) gets its name from its predominantly green plumage resembling a military parade uniform. They are rare enough that if one is spotted, every birder will stand up and pay attention! We were really lucky to see 4 flying by at Wildsumaco but my photos came out blurry so I have included the Wikipedia shots.
They have quite a large range in in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Even within their range, this is not an easy bird to find so consider yourself very lucky if you do! Many people (like me) see them at Wildsumaco in Ecuador and Minca in Colombia.
This is a captive bird included here because of the excellent video quality.
This is a small flock in eastern Ecuador, not sure where but near a noisy river!
The Cobalt-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris cyanoptera) is a species of bird in the Psittacidae family. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.
I took the 1st 2 shots at the small parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center. The shot below is from Wikipedia since we didn’t get the full spectacle the day we were there.
They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. A top spot to see them is the small parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center. Also try looking for them at clay licks near Tambopata & Manu in Peru.
The clay lick scene can be amazing if you get lucky! By contrast, I only saw around 6-8 parakeets in the trees.
Here’s a digiscoped clip of a hungry parakeet.
The Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus ; sometimes incorrectly Pionites melanocephala), also known as the Black-headed Caique, Black-capped Parrot or Pallid Parrot (for P. m. pallidus), is one of the two species in the genus Pionites of the Psittacidae family; the other species being the allopatric White-bellied Parrot.
I was extremely lucky to see one in the wild in Ecuador at a distance.
It is found in forest (especially, but not exclusively, humid) and nearby wooded habitats in the Amazon north of the Amazon River and west of the Ucayali River in Brazil, northern Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is generally fairly common and occurs in many protected areas throughout its range. I saw this one at the Canopy Tower of Napo Wildlife Center and the guide said we were very lucky as they are hard to spot! You could also try eco-lodges near Manaus and Iquitos.
Such a cutie taking a bath in the grass!
Love is in the air with this nesting pair!
The Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus), also known as Guacamaya Manilata, is a medium-sized, mostly green South American parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are commonly called “mini-macaws”. The belly has a large maroon patch which gives the species its name.
Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilata)
And since I couldn’t get a perched shot here’s one from Wikipedia.
They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela. I saw a pair flying overhead at Nariva Swamp while driving but by the time I pulled over, they were gone. I’ve seen them in several places such as Cristalino and near Napo Wildlife Center.
Preening to look their best!
Depending on which birding field guide you have you may see these birds lumped together with Pyrrhura melanura as the nominate with these subspecies or as two separate species as per the title of this post.
I did see them in 3 separate locations in Ecuador so I know I have at least two varieties! The photos above were taken at Wildsumaco Lodge and were the only Maroon-tailed Parakeets I saw perched. I also saw them flying through trees at the Waterfall Trail in Mindo & from the canopy tower at Napo Wildlife center. The ones at Mindo and Rio Silanche are definitely the Choco Parakeet being the only species seen in the western side of the Andes (red). The ones above could possibly be P.m. souancei (dark green) or the nominate (lighter green). The ones at Napo were most likely Pyrrhura melanura. Splits are so confusing!
This is pretty much all I get with smaller birds like Pyrrhura Parakeets – just a fleeting glimpse!
Here’s some bird porn to make up for it – filmed at Wildsumaco.
The Rose-faced Parrot (Pyrilia pulchra) is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. I had to try several times to find these beauties!
They are only found in Ecuador & Colombia but much of their habitat is difficult to get to for normal tourists. Mindo is probably the easiest place to find them, especially along the Waterfall Trail.
Very affectionate little birds!
And this one seems to be looking for a nest.
The Bronze-winged Parrot (Pionus chalcopterus) is a short-tailed stocky parrot found in forest and woodland in north-western South America. They are one of the easier parrots to find in their range.
They are found mostly in Ecuador & Colombia with a sparse population in Venezuela. I saw them just about everywhere – Umbrellabird Lodge flybys, Mindo‘s Waterfall Trail, Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Rio Silanche, Rio Blanco in Colombia near Manizales.
This was a challenge as there isn’t much video footage of these beautiful parrots from the wild but there are a lot of pet bird videos on YouTube. Here’s a couple, at least you can hear this one!
Video filmed through digiscoping.