Dusky Parrot
Pionus fuscus
Medium-sized, stocky rainforest parrot. Can appear mostly black even at fairly close range. Tends to occur as single birds or pairs rather than large groups. Flight style distinctive; birds appear to keep wings below the horizontal, rolling from side to side. Usually first detected flying overhead; descends rapidly and silently into forests to feed on fruit and flowers in the canopy. In flight, confusion is possible with Blue-headed Parrot, but Dusky has different flight style with shallower wingbeats and different calls.
Identification
The dusky parrot is approximately 24 cm (9.4 in) long. It has a medium-wide gray eye-ring (often fades to white in captivity), a splay of cream-white feathers on its upper neck, a pinkish-red tinge to the belly, and red undertail coverts. The remiges and tail are blue, with the latter red at the base. Overall, the dusky parrot is a dark brownish-gray (tending towards black in poor light) bird.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Pionus fuscus
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Pionus
Range and habitat
The dusky parrot's natural habitat is humid lowland forest. Its range is northern South America, and is centered on the Guiana countries, the Guiana Shield, and the northeastern Amazon Basin. It is mostly limited on the west in central-eastern Venezuela by avoiding the Orinoco River itself, but living on its eastern side, from near the Caribbean coast to about 1000 km upstream. To the west a small disjunct group lives west of Lake Maracaibo on the Colombia-Venezuela border.<p>Other limits to dusky parrot's range is northwest Maranhão state Brazil, Baia de Sao Marcos; also in the southeast Amazon Basin, the confluence of the northern flowing Araguaia-Tocantins River. South of Guyana in the western Guianas, the range limit of the dusky parrot is in central Roraima state Brazil; the bird is found east of the south-flowing Branco River in its lower reaches; the upper reaches are in the contiguous range going into Guyana and Venezuela.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Passerina leclancherii
Beautiful small bunting of lowlands and foothills; endemic to west Mexico. Occurs in brushy woodland and edge, adjacent weedy fields, and open grassy areas. Often in small groups, feeding on roadside grasses and flushing up with brilliant blue flashes. Also feeds at all levels in fruiting trees and bushes. Male unmistakable: electric turquoise blue and green above; rich yellow below with a burnished orange breast. Female duller overall: greenish above and yellow below, with a bluish tail. Female brighter yellowish below than slightly larger female Painted Bunting.
Spot-crowned Barbet
Capito maculicoronatus
Stocky canopy dweller with a stout bill and striking plumage. The male has black upperparts, a broad black mask with a white crown and throat, a yellow wash on the breast, black streaks on the sides, and a tuft of reddish-orange feathers sticking out from under the wing. The female is similar but with an entirely black head and breast. Occurs in the canopy of lowland forest from central Panama into western Colombia. Usually in pairs or small groups.
Gray-capped Warbler
Eminia lepida
Large, chunky, uniquely marked warbler. Note the black eye line, gray crown, maroon throat patch, olive-green back, and gray underparts. Skulks in the thick undergrowth of various habitats including forest, moist woodland, overgrown cultivation, and marsh. Often near water. Very loud and vocal. The song is an explosive and highly variable mix of pretty whistles and trills.
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