Gray-breasted Parakeet
Pyrrhura griseipectus
Highly gregarious small parakeet with a long, pointed tail. Has a chestnut face, a dark cap, a grayish scalloped breast, and a large red patch on the belly. Inhabits a handful of high-elevation forests across a very restricted range that it shares with few similar species.
Identification
The grey-breasted parakeet is 20 to 23 cm (7.9 to 9.1 in) long. The sexes are the same. Adults have a brown crown, a plum-red face, and white ear coverts. Their upperparts are mostly green with a red-brown rump. Their chin, throat, and the sides of their neck are grayish with a scaly appearance. The center of their belly is red-brown and the rest of their underparts are green. Their wing is mostly green with a red shoulder and bluish flight feathers. Their tail is red-brown. Immatures are similar to adults.
Taxonomy
Until the early 2000s the grey-breasted parakeet was considered a subspecies of the white-eared parakeet (P. leucotis), which is also called maroon-faced parakeet. There is some thought that the specific epithet griseipectus should be replaced by anaca, which was originally applied to another parakeet, but which appears to have priority.
- Scientific name
- Pyrrhura griseipectus
- Authority
- Salvadori, 1900
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Pyrrhura
Range and habitat
The grey-breasted parakeet is found in only three sites, all in the Brazilian state of Ceará, though it formerly was known from as many as 15 locations. As of 2020, populations are known in Serra do Baturité, Quixadá, and Ibaretama. It inhabits patches of tall humid forest within otherwise dry caatinga and in granite- or sandstone-dominated areas. It is almost always found above 500 m (1,600 ft) of elevation.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The grey-breasted parakeet is not known to have any pattern of movement.<p>The grey-breasted parakeet forages for fruits and seeds in the forest canopy.<p>The grey-breated parakeet's breeding season is not fully known but does include February and March. It nests in cavities in trees and in rocks, and also uses nest boxes erected by conservation projects. The clutch size can be as high as seven eggs. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known.<p>The grey-breasted parakeet's call is a "piercing, fast, chattering 't'kreet-kreet-wik-kreet-krit'."
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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