Red-eared Parakeet
Pyrrhura hoematotis
Green parakeet with a long red tail, blue wings, and red ear patch. Mostly seen in large flocks flying, eating fruits, or perching quietly in trees. Common in cloud forest and forest edges within its limited range. Voice similar to related species. Similar in flight to Painted Parakeet, but differs in having smaller red belly patch with green chest and head; distinguished from Rose-headed Parakeet by lack of red crown and lack of white patch in wings. Endemic to Venezuela in the Coastal Cordillera and a small area at the north end of the Andes.
Identification
The blood-eared parakeet is about 25 cm (9.8 in) long and weighs 64 to 74 g (2.3 to 2.6 oz). The sexes are the same. Adults of the nominate subspecies are slaty gray from forehead to mid-crown, with bare white skin around the eye and bright terracotta ear coverts that give it its English name. Their nape feathers are green with yellow edges and the rest of their upperparts are green. Their throat, the sides of their neck, and their upper breast are yellow-green with grayish feather edges giving a scaly appearance. The rest of their underparts are green with some reddish brown on the belly and bluish green undertail coverts. Their wing is mostly green with blue primaries. Their tail's upperside is brownish red with green feather tips; its underside is coppery. Subspecies P. h. immarginata has a green crown and nape and reduced scaling on the sides of the neck.
Taxonomy
The blood-eared parakeet has two subspecies, the nominate P. h. hoematotis (Souancé, 1857) and P. h. immarginata (Zimmer & W.H. Phelps, 1944).
- Scientific name
- Pyrrhura hoematotis
- Authority
- Souancé, 1857
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Pyrrhura
Range and habitat
The nominate subspecies of the blood-eared parakeet is found in the Venezuelan Coastal Range between the states of Aragua and Miranda. P. h. immarginata is found in the Andes of southeastern Lara state. The species inhabits the interior and edges of cloudforest and secondary forest, wooded savanna, and clearings with scattered trees. In elevation it mostly occurs between 1,000 and 2,000 m (3,300 and 6,600 ft).
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Behavior
In the dry season some blood-eared parakeets move into lower elevation semi-deciduous forest.<p>The blood-eared parakeet typically forages in small flocks in the forest canopy. Its diet includes fruits, seeds, flowers, and possibly insect larvae.<p>The blood-eared parakeet nests in the wet season centering in August; nothing else is known about its breeding biology.<p>The blood-eared 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", "kurruk", or "krreekuk" 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
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