Brown-throated Parakeet

Overview

The brown-throated parakeet, also known as the St. Thomas conure, is a species of parrot found in Central and South America and various Caribbean islands. It is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable population estimated at over five million mature individuals.

Identification

• Lengths between 23 and 28 cm with a weight of 76 to 102 g.
• Adults of the nominate subspecies display a yellow forehead, face, and chin, with a green crown, nape, and upperparts.
• The breast is dull olive and the belly is grass green, featuring a distinct orange patch in the centre.
• Vocalisations include high-pitched screeching and harsh, rapidly repeated 'scraart scraart' cries in flight.

Habitat

Found in Costa Rica, Panama, northern mainland South America, and islands off the South American coast, the species inhabits diverse landscapes including savannas, arid scrublands, mangroves, and tropical forests. It generally stays below 1,200 m, though it reaches 2,600 m in Colombia, and shows a preference for open vegetation in Venezuela.

Diet

The diet consists of seeds, fruits, nuts, flowers, leaves, and occasionally insects, often foraging in pairs or small flocks. Up to 70% of its food in some areas may come from human-planted sources, leading to significant crop damage, particularly to maize and fruit plantations.

Did you know?

Island populations exhibit greater variability in contact calls, likely as an adaptive response to the poor sound transmission of windy environments and the isolation of small island habitats.