Flame-winged Parakeet

Overview

The flame-winged parakeet, also known as the brown-breasted parakeet, is a medium-sized parrot that is endemic to the eastern Andes of Colombia. Classified as Vulnerable, the species is threatened by rapid population decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation.

Identification

• Measures 22–23 cm in length with a prominent white orbital ring.
• Head is greyish-brown with green cheeks and contrasting reddish or brown ear coverts.
• Throat and upper breast are medium brown with light edges creating a scalloped appearance, while the lower breast and belly are reddish brown with green shadings.
• Bright yellow and orange-red wing markings are highly visible in flight, giving the bird its common name.

Habitat

Endemic to the eastern slope of the Andes in Colombia, specifically within the departments of Boyacá, Cundinamarca, and Casanare, and possibly Meta, Santander, and Norte de Santander. It inhabits altitudes between 1,700 and 3,400 metres in upper subtropical and temperate montane forests, cloud forests, elfin forests, subpáramo, and peatbog páramo.

Diet

Feeds on fresh and dried fruit, seeds, and flower parts from native plants, and occasionally on grass leaves and seeds in open areas. The species has developed a taste for cultivated maize crops, which results in conflicts with local farmers.

Did you know?

The species practises cooperative breeding, where groups of four to nine birds, including juveniles, work together to raise each clutch of chicks.