- Brotogeris cyanoptera
Identification

Photo © by Stanley Jones
Macaw clay lick near Manu Wildlife Center Lodge, Peru, 20 September 2009
19-20½ cm (7½-8 in)
Adults
- Yellow green upperparts
- Yellow forehead and lores
- Orange chin
- Green wing bend, carpal edge and underwing coverts
- Purple-blue primary coverts
- Dark blue central tail feathers with green margins
- Pale horn bill, tipped brown
- Bare white eyering
- Dark brown iris
Juveniles are similar to adults but duller in colour with brown bill.
Similar Species
Distinguished from Forpus parrotlets, which also have blue flight feathers by its lack of a blue rump.
Variations
B. c. gustavi adults have yellow bend of wing and carpal edge and green outer primaries. B. c. beniensis adults are similar to gustavi, but paler and more yellow-green with a heavy tint of yellow on the forehead and lores and a strong hint of blue on the crown.
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- B. c. cyanoptera:
- B. c. gustavi:
- Northern Peru (upper Río Huallaga Valley)
- B. c. beniensis:
- Northern Bolivia (Beni)
Habitat
Moist lowland and river-edge forests observed at heights around 155 m.
Behaviour
Breeding
Poorly known. Nests in tree cavity. In captivity clutch of three to six eggs.
Diet
The diet includes seeds, nectar, fruit, figs and berries. Feeds at clay licks often mixed with other species.
Vocalisations
Calls similar to those of Tui Parakeet, rapid series of high-pitched notes; also clear splink splink notes and a variety of harsh, scratchy notes.
Movements
Mostly sedentary, with occasional upslope dispersal seasonally.
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/
- Avibase
- Wikipedia contributors. (2018, July 16). Cobalt-winged parakeet. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:59, July 13, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cobalt-winged_parakeet&oldid=850491663
- World Parrot Trust
- BirdForum Member observations
- Collar, N. & Boesman, P. (2019). Cobalt-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris cyanoptera). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54696 on 9 July 2019).
- Cobalt-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris cyanoptera), In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. retrieved from Neotropical Birds Online: https://neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/cowpar1
- Schulenberg, T. S. & Stotz, D. F. & Lane, D. F. & O'Neill, J. P. & Parker III, T. A. & Egg, A. B. (2010). Birds of Peru: Revised and Updated Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691130231
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Cobalt-winged Parakeet. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Cobalt-winged_Parakeet