White-necked Parakeet
Pyrrhura albipectus
Colorful, long-tailed parakeet restricted to Andean cloud forest in southeastern Ecuador and extreme northern Peru near the border. Combination of white neck, buffy breast, and orange cheek patch separates it from all other parakeets. Wing feathers have a large amount of blue and red, though this is mostly hidden from view when the bird is perched. Usually found in small, noisy flocks that fly from tree to tree. Sometimes clings to cliffs and road cuts while extracting minerals that help them digest their food.
Identification
The white-breasted parakeet is 24 to 25.5 cm (9.4 to 10 in) long and weighs 83 to 110 g (2.9 to 3.9 oz). The sexes are the same. Adults have a thin reddish brown band just above the bill and are brownish from forehead to hindcrown; the crown feathers have gray edges. Their cheeks are green with yellow giving a scaly appearance and their ear coverts are orange. A wide white collar surrounds their neck and the rest of their upperparts are green. Their breast is yellow and the rest of their underparts are green with a rusty tone on the belly. Their wing is mostly green with red primary coverts and dark bluish primaries. The upper side of their tail is dull reddish with a green base and the underside dusky with reddish tips to the feathers. Their bill is blackish and their iris is dark with bare white or whitish skin surrounding it. Immature birds are similar to adults but without the reddish frontal band; they also have paler ear coverts and a white breast.
Taxonomy
The white-breasted parakeet is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Pyrrhura albipectus
- Authority
- Chapman, 1914
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Pyrrhura
Range and habitat
The white-breasted parakeet is found on the eastern slope of the Andes in the southeastern Ecuadoran provinces of Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe, and possibly in northernmost Cajamarca in Peru. The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society considers it to be endemic to Ecuador; undocumented sight records in Peru lead the committee to treat it as hypothetical in that country. It inhabits the canopy, clearings, and edges of primary subtropical and tropical forest at elevations between 900 and 2,000 m (3,000 and 6,600 ft) though it usually is found below 1,700 m (5,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The white-breasted parakeet is not known to have any pattern of movements.<p>The white-breasted parakeet feeds on fruit, seeds, and flowers of a variety of plants and trees.<p>The white-breasted parakeet nests between May and July, but nothing else is known about its breeding biology.<p>The white-breasted parakeet's most common call is "a series of harsh notes, e.g. “krree krree krree” " that is given both from a perch and in flight. Perched birds also call with single "kurree" or "rrah" notes, though perched birds are often silent. Flocks in flight "call frequently and simultaneously, producing a noisy, harsh chattering."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Small and colorful francolin. Males and females are similar, but males have richer coloration and a barred breast, while females have V-shaped marks across the breast. Found on the ground in savanna and woodland habitats with thick grass. Usually in pairs or small groups. Generally shy and retiring. The distinctive call is a short series of cackling notes, which accelerates, descends, and fades away. Somewhat similar to White-throated Francolin, but distinguished by many details, including the chestnut back, orange throat, and lack of rufous wings in flight. Similar to Coqui Francolin but ranges don’t overlap. Smaller than most other francolins, and bigger than quail and buttonquail.
Slender-tailed Nightjar
Caprimulgus clarus
A slim nightjar with a slightly elongated central tail. Both sexes have a large pale mark in the outer wing and along the sides of the tail, white in males and buff in females. Found mainly in dry savanna, but also in other open habitats. Similar to Long-tailed Nightjar, but usually shorter-tailed, and plumage is grayer in the area where their ranges overlap. Call is a slow mechanical trill, lower-pitched than similar calls of other nightjars. Also gives a “pwit” call, often in flight.
Gilded Flicker
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Large woodpecker, very similar to Northern Flicker. Overall pale sandy brown with gray face and brown crown. Spotted below with black oval on chest. Underwing and shafts of flight feathers bright yellow. Males have red mustache stripe; sexes otherwise alike. Combination of face pattern and yellow in wings helps distinguish from both "Red-shafted" and "Yellow-shafted" Northern Flickers. Shows a strong affinity for saguaro cactus but also found in nearby woodland. Gives a piercing "kleer" call similar to Northern Flicker.
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