Difference between revisions of "Mealy Parrot" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 18:55, 31 May 2023

Subspecies farinosa
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Camp Darién, Darién Province, Panama, February 2018

Alternative name: Mealy Amazon

Amazona farinosa

Includes: Northern Mealy Amazon, Southern Mealy Amazon

Identification

38-43 cm (15-17 in)

Green plumage
Paler face and underparts
Back and nape have a whitish tinge
Red speculum
Brownish-maroon to amber eyes
Broad white eye-ring

Subspecies Variation

Photo © by AWPittman
Amazon Rain Forest, Ecuador, December 2014

To distinguish races virenticeps from guatemalae away from their natural habitat look for the extension of the blue on the head. Race virenticeps has the front and sometimes the area above the eyes bluish. Sometimes mixed with some very small yellow or even red feathers. From the back of the head down the nape there is a dark-grey patch of feathers (nominate farinosa has a dark black scalloping). Depending on the lightfall it might sometimes show a purple haze. Extension varies between individuals. Race guatemalae has the blue all over the crown to the back of the head and no dark grey towards the nape. The blue may vary from a soft-powder blue to rather dark blue.
Bill colour is variable in both subspecies: Completely grey, greyish or horn-coloured with a blackish tip or even complete shiny black.

Distribution

Subspecies farinosa
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick, Puerto Maldonado, Reserva Nacional Tambopata, Madre de Dios Department, Peru, August 2018

Central and South America
Central America: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama
South America: Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

There are 3 subspecies^[1]:

A. f. guatemalae:

Caribbean slope of south-eastern Mexico to north-western Honduras

A. f. virenticeps:

Honduras (Sula Valley) to extreme western Panama

A. f. farinosa:

Eastern Panama to Colombia, the Guianas, north-eastern Bolivia and eastern Brazil

Two additional subspecies inornata and chapmani are generally considered invalid^[1].

It has been proposed to separate the two first subspecies into Blue-crowned Parrot (Amazon). However Gill and Donsker have split this species, farinosa as Southern Mealy Amazon and guatemalae and virenticeps as Northern Mealy Amazon.

Habitat

Humid to semi-humid lowland forest and plantations.

Behaviour

Breeding

They nest in a tree hole. The 3 eggs are incubated by the female for 28 days. The male feeds both the female (whilst she is incubating) and later the chicks, with regurgitated food.

Diet

The diet includes fruits, seeds, berries, nuts, blossoms, and leaf buds.

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/
Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Avibase
BF Member observations
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2016)
Wikipedia
Birdforum thread which discussed this possible split of Mealy Parrot in posts starting with number 148

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Mealy Parrot. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Mealy_Parrot

External Links

Search for photos of Mealy Parrot in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-;Amazona farinosa
+[[Image:Mealy Parrot amazona farinosa .jpg|thumb|550px|right|Subspecies ''farinosa''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Stanley+Jones|Stanley Jones}}<br />Camp Darién, Darién Province, [[Panama]], February 2018]]
-[[Image:Mealy_Parrot.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by steve blain]]
+'''Alternative name: Mealy Amazon'''
-==mealy parrot==
-Depicted bird is ssp. A f virenticeps
-The Mealy Parrot occurs in tropical Central America and South America. It frequents humid to semi-humid forest (only rarely in deciduous forest) and plantations. In regions dominated by open/dry habitats it is restricted to gallery forest or completely absent.
+;[[: Category:Amazona|Amazona]] farinosa
+'''Includes: Northern Mealy Amazon, Southern Mealy Amazon'''
+==Identification==
+-43 cm (15-17 in)
+*Green plumage
+*Paler face and underparts
+*Back and nape have a whitish tinge
+*Red speculum
+*Brownish-maroon to amber eyes
+*Broad white eye-ring
+====Subspecies Variation====
+[[Image:Mealy Amazons AWP 5323.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|AWPittman|AWPittman}}<br />Amazon Rain Forest, [[Ecuador]], December 2014]]
+To distinguish races ''virenticeps'' from ''guatemalae'' away from their natural habitat look for the extension of the blue on the head. Race ''virenticeps'' has the front and sometimes the area above the eyes bluish. Sometimes mixed with some very small yellow or even red feathers. From the back of the head down the nape there is a dark-grey patch of feathers (nominate ''farinosa'' has a dark black scalloping). Depending on the lightfall it might sometimes show a purple haze. Extension varies between individuals. Race ''guatemalae'' has the blue all over the crown to the back of the head and no dark grey towards the nape. The blue may vary from a soft-powder blue to rather dark blue.<br />
+Bill colour is variable in both subspecies: Completely grey, greyish or horn-coloured with a blackish tip or even complete shiny black.
+==Distribution==
+[[Image:Mealey Parrots.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''farinosa''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Stanley+Jones|Stanley Jones}}<br />Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick, Puerto Maldonado, Reserva Nacional Tambopata, Madre de Dios Department, [[Peru]], August 2018]]
+[[Central America|Central]] and [[South America]]<br />
+'''Central America''': [[Mexico]], [[Guatemala]], [[Belize]], [[Honduras]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Costa Rica]] and [[Panama]]<br />
+'''South America''': [[Colombia]], [[Venezuela]], [[Guyana]], [[Suriname]], [[French Guiana]], [[Ecuador]], [[Peru]], [[Bolivia]] and	[[Brazil]].
+==Taxonomy==
+====Subspecies====
+There are 3 subspecies<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>:
+*''A. f. guatemalae'':
+:*Caribbean slope of south-eastern [[Mexico]] to north-western [[Honduras]]
+*''A. f. virenticeps'':
+:*[[Honduras]] (Sula Valley) to extreme western [[Panama]]
+*''A. f. farinosa'':
+:*Eastern [[Panama]] to [[Colombia]], the [[Guianas]], north-eastern [[Bolivia]] and eastern [[Brazil]]
-It has a total length of 38-40 cm (14.96-15.75 in) and weighs 540-700 g (19.01-24.64 oz). Captives commonly are heavier. It is among the largest parrots in the Americas, mainly being surpassed by a the large macaws. As the other members of its genus, the Mealy Parrot has a relatively short, squarish tail.
+Two additional subspecies ''inornata'' and ''chapmani'' are generally considered invalid<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
-The Mealy Parrot is mainly green. The back and nape often have a whitish tinge; almost as if it had been covered in a thin layer of flour ("meal"; hence its name). The distal half of the tail is paler and more yellow than the basal half, thus resulting in a distinctly bi-coloured look. In flight it shows a bluish-black trailing edge to the wing and a conspicious red speculum. Occasionally a few yellow feathers are apparent on the top of the head and two subspecies, virenticeps and guatemalae, have a bluish-tinged crown. The orange eyes (typically appear dark from a distance) are surrounded by a relatively broad white eye-ring of bare skin.
+It has been proposed to separate the two first subspecies into Blue-crowned Parrot (Amazon). However Gill and Donsker have split this species, ''farinosa'' as Southern Mealy Amazon and ''guatemalae'' and ''virenticeps'' as Northern Mealy Amazon.
+==Habitat==
+Humid to semi-humid lowland forest and plantations.
+==Behaviour==
+====Breeding====
+They nest in a tree hole. The 3 eggs are incubated by the female for 28 days. The male feeds both the female (whilst she is incubating) and later the chicks, with regurgitated food.
+====Diet====
+The diet includes fruits, seeds, berries, nuts, blossoms, and leaf buds.
+==References==
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#{{Ref-GillDonsker14V5.2}}#Avibase
+#BF Member observations
+#Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved January 2016)
+#Wikipedia
+#[http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2961466 Birdforum thread] which discussed this possible split of Mealy Parrot in posts starting with number 148
+{{ref}}
+==External Links==
+{{GSearch|"Amazona farinosa" {{!}} "Mealy Parrot" {{!}} "Mealy Amazon"}}
+{{GS-checked}}1
+<br />
+<br />
-[edit] Behavior
+[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Amazona]]
-The Mealy Parrot is social and can be found in pairs or in large flocks. They are even known to interact with other parrots, such as macaws. They are usually quiet but can be loud at dusk and dawn. They are know as one of the gentlest and calmest of all amazons.
-When Mealy Parrots reach sexual maturity they usually form monogamous relationships with a single partner.
-Courtship usually begins in early spring. The hen will usually lay three eggs, which she incubates for 28 days. The male will eat for both himself and the female during the incubation period. He will regurgitate the food for the female and chicks to eat.
-The diet of the Mealy Parrot consists mostly of fruits, seeds, berries, nuts, blossoms, and leaf buds.
-It is fairly common in most of its range, but has declined locally due to habitat loss and trapping for wild parrot trade. Trafficking of the birds (as for exotic pets) is illegal in many nations, but the species are still smuggled into the United States from Mexico. In some areas Mealy Parrots are hunted as food. The Mealy Parrot sometimes feeds on human crops (especially corn) and may be considered a crop pest.
-==External Links==
-*[http://www.birdforum.net/pp_gallery/showgallery.php?si=Amazona+farinosa&x=15&y=4&perpage=15&sort=1&cat=all&ppuser=&friendemail=email%40yourfriend.com&password= View more images of Mealy Parrot in the gallery]
-[[Category:Birds]]