- Pionus menstruus
Identification
27cm
- Green plumage
- Blue head and neck
- Red under-tail feathers
- Yellow wing coverts
- Black upper mandible with reddish sides
- Dark ear patches
Sexes similar
Juvenile
- Less blue on head
- Red or pink feathers around ceres
Distribution
Central and South America
Central America: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad
South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 3 subspecies[1]:
- P. m. rubrigularis:
- Tropical northern Costa Rica to western Colombia and western Ecuador
- P. m. menstruus:
- P. m. reichenowi:
- Coastal north-eastern Brazil (Alagoas to Espírito Santo)
Two additional subspecies chlorocyanescens and cyanescens are generally considered invalid[2].
Habitat
A wide variety of woodland and forest habitats, suburban gardens and mixed agricultural areas. Lowland rainforest in the tropical zone. Observerved at heights between 290m and 1400m.
Behaviour
Diet
The diet includes fruit, seed and grain.
Breeding
It nests in a tree cavity; the clutch consists of 3-5 white eggs.
References
- Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- BF Member observations
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Blue-headed Parrot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 9 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Blue-headed_Parrot
