Golden-plumed Parakeet
Leptosittaca branickii
Large green parakeet, locally distributed in high-elevation forests near treeline. The thin yellow stripe extending behind the eye is distinctive, but can be difficult to see. Has less red in the head than other large parakeets in range; also note the yellow feathering on the belly. Found in high-quality forest with Podocarpus trees for feeding and wax palms for nesting. Note also its distinctive voice, lower-pitched and less harsh than other parakeets.
Identification
The Golden-plumed parakeet is a large and long tailed montane parakeet that resides in the Andean cloud forests of Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador. Adult golden-plumed parakeets are mostly bright green with orangish yellow lores and small golden yellow crests behind the eyes. Their bellies are a faded yellowish color with reddish orange feathers scattered about. Golden-plumed parakeets have yellowish flight feathers on their underside as well as strongly reddish color feathers on the underside of their tail. Juvenile golden-plumed parakeets strongly resemble the adults, but their bellies are a paler green, yellow, and orange color as well as having pale pink bills.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Leptosittaca branickii
- Authority
- Berlepsch & Stolzmann, 1894
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Leptosittaca
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Behavior
Golden-plumed Parakeets usually abide in groups of 5-15 and can be seen in groups as large as 35-40 birds. The Golden–plumed parakeet likely has a nomadic movement pattern, leaving the nest when the chicks have fledged and returning next breeding season. Also, they are usually on exposed branches and outer crowns of Wax palms and are very active callers. Their call is a shrill sound that is present in flight and while they are perched, and it can be heard all year and more frequently during nesting areas during the breeding season. During copulation, the males and females share the same perch and gradually approach each other. The male slowly mounts the female and they both raise their long tails, rub together their cloacas, and shake their tails literally for 1–2 minutes.
Conservation
Habitat degradation and fragmentation are the two main threats causing a decline in the number of Golden-plumed Parakeets in Ecuador. There are only about 7,300-20,000 Golden-plumed parakeets mature adults left today as a result of fragmentation and habitat loss. There are conversation sites scattered throughout their region to aid their struggle.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Robin Accentor
Prunella rubeculoides
A distinctive and common inhabitant of high-altitude open spaces such as pastures, steppelands, and mountain valleys. Bold and confiding, often visiting villages and towns where it forages for scraps with snowfinches, mountain-finches, and other accentors. Combination of ash-gray head, orange breast, and white belly is unique amongst the birds in its region.
Purple-throated Cuckooshrike
Campephaga quiscalina
A forest-dwelling cuckooshrike in which males and females are strikingly different. Males are all-black with a purple gloss to the underparts. Females have an olive-green back, a gray head, and pale yellow underparts. Found in the canopy of various forest types, including gallery forest, lowland rainforest, and montane forest. Generally uncommon and inconspicuous. The most common vocalization is a downslurred “tsieuw.” The male resembles other black male cuckooshrikes, but is distinguished by its glossy purple underparts, though these can be hard to discern. The female is identified by its plain-green back.
Smoky Warbler
Phylloscopus fuligiventer
Dark sooty leaf warbler with a pale brow stripe and no wingbars. Yellow wash to the underparts tends to be absent in worn birds. Extremely similar in appearance to Dusky Warbler, which averages larger and darker overall, and has a longer, brighter brow stripe. Breeds in scrubby areas above the treeline and moves downhill into shrubby and grassy foothill and lowland areas. Forages low on the ground, often around rocks or water. Song is a repetitive series of liquid notes. Calls are dry, hard “chuck” or “tick” notes.
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