Amazonian Parrotlet
Nannopsittaca dachilleae
Rare, short-tailed parakeet. Small and green, with a light bluish wash on the face. Sexes similar. Compared to the similar (and usually more common) Dusky-billed Parrotlet, note the absence of a blue rump patch (also missing on female Dusky-billed), bluish face (green or yellow in Dusky-billed), and light pinkish bill. Likes to feed on seeding bamboo, and most often found in areas with extensive bamboo or in secondary forest along rivers. Flight calls are high tinkles that are lower and less metallic than Dusky-billed Parrotlet calls.
Identification
The upper parts, nape, auriculars, dorsum, tertials, wing covers, rump, upper-tail, and rectrices are bright green. The forehead, anterior crown, and ores are a pale blue. The malar area, breast, belly, and under-tail are a paler more yellowish green. No sexual dimorphism has been described as yet.[citation needed]
Taxonomy
The Manu parrotlet was discovered in 1985 by John P. O’Neill, Charles A. Munn, and Irma Franke while exploring the Manú River in the Manú National Park in eastern Peru. The new species was named after the scientists' colleague, conservationist and journalist Barbara D’Achille.<p>The generic name is from Latin nānus dwarf, from Greek nanos dwarf + Latin psittaca feminine of psittacus parrot, from Greek psittakos parrot; dachilleae a Latinized form of the surname d'Achille, hence the "dwarf parrot of d'Achille".[citation needed]
- Scientific name
- Nannopsittaca dachilleae
- Authority
- O'Neill, Munn & Franke, 1991
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Nannopsittaca
Range and habitat
The bird has a patchy distribution throughout Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru, with the latter containing the majority of its population. It largely occupies riparian forests, especially those that consist of Calocophyllum spruceanum and Cecropia membranacea.[citation needed]
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Behavior
The bird was consistently measured to be in flocks of anywhere from 5 to 12 birds by the researchers who described it. Flocks make sounds similar to squawking or peeping. One possible nest was observed, a burrow among a cluster of bromeliads.[citation needed]<p>It generally tends to forage on the ground for seeds or in mineral deposits left by rivers, especially on the seeds left behind by bamboo in the genus Guadua.<p>Another important source of nutrients for the Manu parrotlet is the clay licks, narrow horizons exposed to a vertical bank on a riverbed to consume sodium and other minerals that are depositeted there. The Manu parrotlet appeared every two or three days about midday with groups of dusky-billed parrotlet (Forpus sclateri), tui parakeet (Brotogeris sanctithomae), and cobalt-winged parakeet (B. cyanoptera), with the Manu parrotlet eating clay for about 30 minutes.
Conservation
The Manu parrotlet faces primarily habitat fragmentation and degradation from industry, especially mining, and associated roads.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Saturnine Antshrike
Thamnomanes saturninus
Fairly small antshrike. Males are dark gray with a black throat. Females are tinged brown above and tawny below with a contrasting whitish throat. Found in the understory of lowland humid forest. Often leads mixed-species flocks; occasionally attends army-ant swarms. Sings a series of gradually ascending notes that ends with a harsh final note. Similar to Cinereous Antshrike, which can occur in the same flocks, but differs in throat color and in song.
Rusty-margined Guan
Penelope superciliaris
Medium-sized long-tailed guan with a red throat wattle and pale legs. Occurs in various wooded habitats from dense humid forests to dry forests and mangroves. Unlike other guans has an indistinct eyebrow streak and a plain rather than streaked back. Prominent white streaks on the neck extend to the lower breast. Makes a harsh barked “wruh, wruh.”
Gray-bellied Spinetail
Synallaxis cinerascens
Small spinetail, which is largely gray-brown overall with rufous wings and tail contrasting with a black throat patch and pale chin. Very shy; inhabits the interior of humid forest where it is found in dense understory vegetation. The song is a high-pitched series of “teeep-tepeee” notes.
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