White-bellied Parrot
Pionites leucogaster
Fairly small, short-tailed parrot of lowland rainforest. Green backed with a yellow head and white and yellow underparts. Smaller than other short-tailed parrots and appears big headed. Usually forages and flies in pairs or small groups around the rainforest canopy. Listen for high, buzzing screeches.
Identification
The white-bellied parrot is 23 to 25 cm (9.1 to 9.8 in) long and weighs about 155 g (5.5 oz). It is a chunky, short-tailed parrot. The sexes are the same. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. l. leucogaster have mostly yellow heads with orange crowns and napes. Their upperparts are mostly dull green with a bright green rump. Their throat, the sides of their neck, their breast, and their vent are yellow. Also, their lower breast and belly are white with bright green thigh feathers. Their wing is mostly dull green with reddish-orange axillaries and dark blue primaries. Their tail is bright green. Furthermore, their bill is pale horn colored with a bright pinkish cere, their iris reddish brown, and their legs and feet bright pink. Immature birds are similar to adults but with a brownish crown and nape.<p>Subspecies P. l. xanthomerius has an apricot-orange crown and nape, yellow thigh feathers, and blackish legs and feet. P. l. xanthurus also has an apricot-orange crown and nape and yellow thigh feathers. Its tail is yellow. It has the same pinkish legs and feet as the nominate. Both of these subspecies intergrade with each other and with the nominate.<p>The white breast feathers of the white-bellied parrot are often stained a chestnut brown (or "isobel") color. This may be due to tannin staining, as result of their particular affinity for bathing by rubbing their bodies against wet leaves and other plant matter. The head and nape plumage of the white-bellied parrot has been observed to fluoresce strongly under ultraviolet light.
Taxonomy
The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society, the International Ornithological Committee, and the Clements taxonomy assign these three subspecies to the white-bellied parrot:<p>BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats all three as separate species, the "black-legged", "yellow-tailed", and "green-thighed" parrots respectively. The three have also been called the "western", "central", and "eastern" white-bellied parrots. Note that the range map is that of the nominate subspecies P. l. leucogaster.
- Scientific name
- Pionites leucogaster
- Authority
- (Kuhl, 1820)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Pionites
Range and habitat
The subspecies of the white-bellied parrot are found thus:<p>All three subspecies of the white-bellied parrot inhabit humid tropical forests, both terra firme and várzea. They seem to prefer the forest's edges and openings in it to the closed interior. The nominate subspecies is also found in small numbers in drier forests at the southern reaches of its range.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Nothing is known about the white-bellied parrot's movement patterns, if any.<p>Little is known about the white-bellied parrot's foraging technique or diet, though the latter includes fruits of trees and palms and also flowers.<p>The nominate subspecies of the white-bellied parrot nests between November and January; P. l. xanthomerius is thought to nest between August and December. Both nest in tree cavities. Their clutch size appears to be two to four eggs. Nothing further is known about their breeding biology. Nothing is known about that of P. l. xanthurus, though it is assumed to be essentially the same as that of the other two subspecies.<p>The white-bellied parrot's flight call is "a high-pitched, harsh, squealing “sqheee .. sqheee”." It also makes "from loud high-pitched “kree-ee-ee” or “skeeew” notes to more melodious whistles and subdued “kee-ah-u” or “kew” calls" when perched.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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