Brown-hooded Parrot

Overview

The brown-hooded parrot (Pyrilia haematotis) is a species of parrot found across Central and South America, ranging from Mexico to Colombia. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN, with an estimated population of at least 50,000 mature individuals.

Identification

• Measures 21 to 23 cm in length and weighs 145 to 150 g, with adults displaying a reddish brown crown, ear coverts, and throat.
• Features a distinctive pinkish red patch behind the eye, white nares and eye ring, dull olive-yellow nape and breast, and red flanks.
• Mostly green body with blue on the wing edges, blackish blue flight feathers, and blue-tipped tail feathers.
• Flight call described as a clear chirruping 'kee-reek' or high-pitched 'chreea, cheea', while perched calls are melodious yelps, gurgles, and squeaks.

Habitat

The species inhabits the canopy and edges of humid evergreen forests, cloud forests, and mature secondary forests. It ranges from Veracruz and Oaxaca in Mexico through the Caribbean slope of Central America to northwestern Colombia, typically between sea level and 1,200 m but reaching up to 1,900 m.

Diet

Forages in the canopy and forest edges, consuming a diet mostly of fruits and seeds from trees and epiphytes, with a preference for figs. It has also been observed feeding on mistletoe leaves.

Did you know?

The brown-hooded parrot is thought to make seasonal elevational movements, with populations in Costa Rica moving to lower elevations after breeding at higher altitudes.