Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot
Micropsitta bruijnii
A tiny parrot of montane forests. The male is brightly-colored with a green back, red belly and a peachy cheek and throat surrounded with bright blue. The female is mainly green with a blue crown and whitish face. Other pygmy-parrot species do not usually occur in this altitudinal range. Like other pygmy-parrots, it creeps along trunks but nests in stumps rather than arboreal termitaria. The male is unmistakeable and female similar to Yellow-capped and Buff-faced, but has a paler face and lacks the bright yellow vent. A high-pitch tinkling call.
Identification
The red-breasted pygmy parrot (Micropsitta bruijnii) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. Its natural habitat is the boreal forests, subtropical or tropical dry forests, and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests of the Maluku Islands and Melanesia. As their name suggests, the pygmy parrots are the smallest genus of all parrots, with distribution confined to islands off South-east Asia. This particular species is found at higher altitudes than other pygmy parrots, and uses trees rather than arboreal termite nests as breeding sites. They have jerky movements, rather reminiscent of nuthatches (Sitta species), and cling close to the bark as they search for lichens growing in the trees, which form the majority of their diet. Red-breasted pygmy parrots are only 8 cm (3 in) in length. The global population size has not been quantified, but the species is reported to be common to uncommon due to deforestation and habitat lost on this limited range. It is best to study these birds in their natural habitat because they do not thrive in captivity. The specific name bruijnii commemorates the Dutch plume merchant Antonie Augustus Bruijn.
Taxonomy
Genus: Micropsitta; Family: Psittaculidae; Order: Psittaciformes.
- Scientific name
- Micropsitta bruijnii
- Authority
- (Salvadori, 1875)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Micropsitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Choco Brushfinch
Atlapetes crassus
This chunky bird is dingy yellow below and dark brownish above with a tawny crown. Sexes similar. Could be confused with Yellow-breasted Brushfinch, which is found at higher elevations and has a brighter rufous crown. Pairs or small groups are found foraging in the lower levels of montane forest, edges and tangles, often clambering around a couple meters from the ground. Found from around 600–2,500 m.
Chestnut-banded Plover
Anarhynchus pallidus
Small, beautiful, pale-gray plover. Adults show a diagnostic chestnut band across the chest. Immatures are very plain but show a gray chest band. Found mainly on manmade saltpans and natural alkaline lakes, both along the coast and inland. Sometimes occurs in other coastal wetlands but virtually never on fresh water. Call is a quiet “peep”. Immatures can be confused with immature White-fronted Plover but normally show a blurry gray chest band and are colder gray on the back.
Rufous-crested Coquette
Lophornis delattrei
Tiny hummingbird; male is striking with fabulous spiky orange crest, each feather tipped in black. Otherwise greenish with dark throat and conspicuous white band across rump. Female much less obvious; look for very small size, rufous forehead and throat, and white band across rump. Range usually helps to eliminate other similar species of coquette; note especially similarity to Spangled Coquette. Found more often in edges than other coquettes, especially brushy clearings or roadsides with flowering bushes.
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