Blue-fronted Parrotlet
Touit dilectissimus
Small, short-tailed parrot that occurs from Venezuela to Ecuador and into eastern Panama. Green overall with a pale bluish eyering and red patches around the eye. Blue forecrown can be difficult to see but, look for red shoulder. Rarely seen perched; most often detected by voice as it flies rapidly over the forest, mostly often in pairs or small groups. With a quick flight view, note small size and short, square tail. The only member of its genus in range. Scarce and local, occurring mainly in the foothills and lower subtropics but occasionally ranging into the lowlands. Listen for bisyllabic calls with a grating quality: “chuwee, chuwee.”
Identification
The blue-fronted parrotlet is about 17 to 18 cm (6.7 to 7.1 in) long and weighs 59 to 71 g (2.1 to 2.5 oz). Its body is mostly green, darker above than below. Its forehead ("front") is blue; it has a white eye ring and a red line in front of and below the eye with more blue below it. Its crown and hindneck are bronze-green. It has much red on the wing's "wrist", and its primaries are black with green outer edges. Its underwing coverts are yellow. Its central tail feathers are black and the others yellow with black tips. Males have more red on their wing than females; immatures resemble females with a less distinctive facial pattern.
Taxonomy
The blue-fronted parrotlet is monotypic. However, some authors have treated it as conspecific with red-fronted parrotlet (T. costaricensis) under that English name. The two form a superspecies.
- Scientific name
- Touit dilectissimus
- Authority
- (Sclater, PL & Salvin, 1871)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Touit
Range and habitat
The blue-fronted parrotlet is found from eastern Panama south along the Pacific slope of Colombia and Ecuador as far as El Oro Province and in the Andes and Serranía del Perijá of Venezuela. It inhabits cloudforest and mature secondary forest. In the Andes it mostly ranges in elevation between 500 and 1,400 m (1,600 and 4,600 ft) but is found as low as 100 m (300 ft) and in Colombia often to 2,000 m (6,600 ft); in Venezuela it mostly occurs between 1,300 and 1,600 m (4,300 and 5,200 ft). It has been recorded as high as 3,000 m (9,800 ft). Its population is localized and spread out across its range.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
They are gregarious, often found in small groups of up to 15 individuals. They are usually overlooked due to their quiet nature while feeding and roosting in tree canopies, but can be very noisy when in flight. Blue-fronted parrotlets are seen more often at the forest edge.<p>Blue-fronted parrotlets make seasonal movements from their core range to the lowlands and high elevations.<p>Little is known about the blue-fronted parrotlet's diet. Stomach contents of specimens have included small fruits, though it is unknown whether the fruit pulp or the seeds were the target. It has been documented feeding on the seeds of fruits of the family Clusiaceae.<p>The blue-fronted parrotlet apparently breeds in May and June in Panama. Its season in Colombia includes March and June but is not well defined. The few known nests were excavated in arboreal termite nests; one in Colombia was about 7 m (23 ft) above the ground.<p>The blue-fronted parrotlet's most common calls are "a slightly nasal “chree” or bisyllabic “chu-ree”." Flocks in flight call together, "resulting in a continuous, noisy chattering." When perched it also makes "a soft churring “krr”."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Dot-eared Coquette
Lophornis gouldii
Tiny charismatic hummingbird. Note the male’s white cheeks tufts with green spots. Females have a rusty throat bordered below by a white-spotted green band. Probably rare but certainly difficult to find at the edge of humid forests and more wooded savannas. Males of other coquettes within its range have different cheek tuft patterns, while females don't have the rusty throat.
Red-legged Brushturkey
Talegalla jobiensis
A large, black ground bird of rainforests from the lowlands to mid-mountains. Red-orange legs stand out against the all black plumage. Bare face and a bushy feathers on top of the head give it a crested appearance. Often hammers seeds with its strong bill. The red-orange legs separate it from any similar-sized birds with which it co-occurs. Much more often heard than seen. Loud raucous call, similar to Red-billed Brushturkey but the second note rises higher.
Neumann's Warbler
Hemitesia neumanni
Unusual short-tailed and big-headed warbler. The most obvious marks are the bold black, white, and olive-green stripes on the head. Found in the understory of middle-elevation montane forest, usually in thick, wet areas, as along streams. Most often detected by voice: a sequence of three whistles, “tseew tsee-tyout.” Most similar to Green Hylia, but much shorter-tailed.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.