Red-fronted Parrotlet
Touit costaricensis
Small parrot with short square tail. Mostly green with red forehead and shoulder. In flight, partially yellow underwings and yellow in tail are visible. Restricted range; prefers montane forests, where it forages inconspicuously in the canopy and is sometimes seen in pairs or small flocks in flight. Combination of small size and tail shape is distinctive in range. Feeds on fruit.
Identification
The red-fronted parrotlet is about 15 to 17 cm (5.9 to 6.7 in) long and weighs about 80 g (2.8 oz). Its body is mostly green, darker above than below. Its forehead ("front") and much of its face are red with a bit of blue on the latter and a white eye ring. Its crown and hindneck are bronze-green and its throat yellowish. It has much red on the wing's "wrist", and its primaries are black with green outer edges. Its underwing coverts are yellow. Its tail has a square end; the central tail feathers are black and the others yellow with black tips. Males have more red on their face than females and immatures have almost none.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Touit costaricensis
- Authority
- (Cory, 1913)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Touit
Range and habitat
The red-fronted parrotlet is found from western Costa Rica into western Panama as far as Coclé Province, and is more numerous on the Caribbean slope than the Pacific. In the dry season it inhabits very wet and cool evergreen montane forest at elevations up to 3,000 m (9,800 ft); in the wet season it moves to lower elevation rainforest.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
The red-fronted parrotlet is an elevational migrant, moving between high elevation in the dry season and lower, sometimes to sea level, in the rainy season. It is usually found year-round between 500 and 1,500 m (1,600 and 4,900 ft).<p>The red-fronted parrotlet typically forages on trees and epiphytes in the canopy. Its diet is fruit; plants of families Melastomataceae and Ericaceae are known contributors.<p>The red-fronted parrotlet gives "a shrill, querulous chheee? chee, che-de-de-dee" call. Its flight call is "a slightly nasal 'kyee kyee'."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Siberian Crane
Leucogeranus leucogeranus
Rare and declining, but still fairly abundant at its main wintering grounds at Poyang Lake, in China’s Jiangxi Province. Adult is unmistakable with all-white plumage, save for a crimson face and black wingtips. Juveniles are whitish, with a light brown head, neck, back, and wings. Typically found around lake edges and fields, where it forages in small to medium-sized groups, primarily for plant matter and invertebrates.
Highland Lark
Corypha kurrae
A large, robust, rusty lark with a short crest, hefty bill, and prominent rufous wing panel that is obvious in flight. Geographically variable, ranging from blackish on the back and buff below to rich rufous overall. Pairs are locally resident in open habitats including grassland, grassy savanna, woodland, and cultivated areas. The song is sweet and simple song, consisting of of 2-5 whistled notes. Can be similar to Sun Lark, but larger and with a larger bill.
Black-throated Sparrow
Amphispiza bilineata
Evidence that not all sparrows are dull, Black-throated Sparrow is a sharp-dressed denizen of open, shrubby desert. Gray-brown overall with distinctive black-and-white face pattern, dark tail with white corners. Streakier juvenile shows a hint of adult's face pattern, especially white eyebrow. Typically found on or near the ground in pairs or small flocks. Tinkling song with short trills and chips.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.