Sulphur-winged Parakeet
Pyrrhura hoffmanni
Medium-sized parakeet with long pointed tail. Most distinctive in flight, when the wings look mostly bright yellow. When perched, look for the isolated red cheek patch, which is unlike any other parakeet in range. Sexes similar. Found in small flocks, usually in forested areas or edges. Calls are high-pitched and squeaky.
Identification
The sulphur-winged parakeet is about 23 to 24 cm (9.1 to 9.4 in) long and weighs an average of 82 g (2.9 oz). The sexes are the same. Adults of the nominate subspecies are mostly green. Their head, nape, and throat have some yellow inclusions; bare white skin surrounds their eye and their ear coverts are bright terracotta. Their breast has a dull orange wash. Their wing is mostly green with yellow primary coverts, inner primaries, and outer secondaries; the outer primaries are blue. Their tail's upperside is rufous olive with green fringes on the feathers; its underside is reddish brown. Immature birds have duller scaling, less orange on their breast, and much less yellow on their wings. Subspecies P. h. gaudens has some orange-red markings on its head and its underparts are slightly darker than those of the nominate.
Taxonomy
The sulphur-winged parakeet has two subspecies, the nominate P. h. hoffmanni (Cabanis, 1861) and P. h. gaudens (Bangs, 1906).<p>It is named for the German naturalist Karl Hoffmann.[citation needed]
- Scientific name
- Pyrrhura hoffmanni
- Authority
- (Cabanis, 1861)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Pyrrhura
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of the sulphur-winged parakeet is found in the Cordillera de Talamanca and the Dota region of southern Costa Rica. P. h. gaudens is found in western Panama as far east as Veraguas Province. The species inhabits primary and logged montane forest and adjacent shrubby areas and secondary forest. In elevation it ranges from 700 to 3,000 m (2,300 to 9,800 ft) but usually occurs above 1,600 m (5,200 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The sulphur-winged parakeet moves from the upper elevations to the lower during the wet season, and sometimes makes daily elevational moves between roosting and feeding sites.<p>The sulphur-winged parakeet typically forages in small flocks in the forest canopy. Its diet is primarily the fruits and seeds of a variety of plants and trees.<p>The sulphur-winged parakeet is believed to nest mainly between January and June. It nests in a natural tree cavity or old woodpecker hole, typically between 8 and 20 m (25 and 65 ft) above the ground. In captivity the clutch size is six eggs, the incubation period 24 days, and fledging 10 weeks after hatch.<p>The sulphur-winged parakeet's most common call is "a series of high-pitched shrill notes, e.g. “krree krree krree” " that is given both from a perch and in flight. It is shrill but not screechy in contrast to that of other Pyrrhura parakeets. Perched birds are often silent. Flocks in flight "call frequently and simultaneously, producing a noisy, harsh and piercing chattering."
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black Siskin
Spinus atratus
Stunning and distinctive small finch of the high Andes; favors puna grasslands with shrubs, rocky slopes, and bogs. Black head and body is diagnostic among siskins; yellow wing and tail patches mostly concealed on perched birds, but very flashy in flight. Sexes look similar, but juvenile has an orangish bill and buffy wingbars. Feeds in low bushes and on the ground, sometimes in association with other small seed-eating birds, but also in small groups of its own kind.
Great Thrush
Turdus fuscater
True to its name, Great Thrush is noticeably large, almost recalling a jay rather than a thrush. Brown overall, varying across range from dark blackish to paler grayish-brown. Note orange bill and legs and yellow eyering (males only). Common and conspicuous in highlands from 2,000–4,000 m. Found in open habitats including forest edges, gardens, towns, and cities, where it is often bold and easy to see. Compare with Chiguanco Thrush, which overlaps in some areas. Great Thrush is larger, darker, and males have yellow eyering.
Purple-crested Turaco
Gallirex porphyreolophus
A bulky, iridescent bird clad in deep purple, blue, green, and olive washed with pink. It clambers acrobatically through riverine woodland and savanna thickets. In flight it explodes from the canopy with distinctive deep red panels in the wings. It produces a distinctive croaking “khoh-khoh-khoh-khoh….” that gets progressively louder before suddenly stopping. The similar Ross’s Turaco differs from Purple-crested Turaco by being darker overall and having a red crest and yellow face.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.