Slender-billed Parakeet

Overview

The slender-billed parakeet, or choroy, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae that is endemic to Chile. It is considered of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with a stable population despite past declines due to deforestation.

Identification

• Approximately 40 cm long with a greatly elongated mandible.
• Adults have a red forehead and lores on a yellow-green face, with dull green upperparts and yellowish green underparts featuring a reddish belly patch.
• Wings are mostly green with bluish green primaries, and the tail is reddish.
• Vocalisations include a nasal grating note repeated in series, such as 'grrreh-grrreh', and higher-pitched screeches like 'kreeh!'

Habitat

Found in central Chile between the Santiago Metropolitan and Los Lagos regions, with rare occurrences in the Aysén Region and as a vagrant in Argentina. It primarily inhabits southern beech and Chilean pine forests, but also uses semi-open areas, ranchlands, and cultivated areas in winter. Elevation ranges up to 2,000 m.

Diet

The year-round diet consists of seeds from grass and thistle, buds, and berries, with Araucaria seeds being a major component in autumn. Its unusual bill is adapted for feeding on Araucaria seeds, while Nothofagus seeds are important at other times. It is considered a serious agricultural pest on Chiloé Island.

Did you know?

The bird roosts communally in flocks that can reach up to 2,000 individuals. It sometimes nests in tree cavities where multiple pairs share the same tree, and one recorded nest contained 10 eggs, likely laid by two females.