Ochre-marked Parakeet

Overview

The ochre-marked parakeet, Pyrrhura cruentata, is a species of parrot native to Brazil, also known as the blue-throated parakeet. It is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to its fragmented distribution.

Identification

• Predominantly green plumage with conspicuous red patches on the belly, rump, and shoulder.
• A broad, bright blue bib on the chest extends thinly around the back of the neck to form a faint collar.
• The crown is dark brown to blackish and becomes mottled on the nape.
• Outer primaries are blue, with an olive-green upper tail and brownish-red lower tail.

Habitat

This bird inhabits the canopy of lowland humid forest and its edges, occasionally reaching elevations up to 960 meters. It is also found in small clearings, selectively logged forests, and agricultural areas with retained forest trees, such as shade cocoa plantations. Its range is highly fragmented, formerly covering parts of south-eastern Bahia, Espírito Santo, east Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro, but now mostly restricted to isolated reserves in Brazil.

Diet

The species feeds on seeds and fruit from secondary growth trees, such as Trema micrantha and Cecropia. Feeding on agricultural crops has not been observed in the wild.

Did you know?

Although the species shows some tolerance for shade cocoa plantations, modern shading techniques using banana and Erythrina trees rather than standing forest, combined with unstable crop prices leading to pasture conversion, provide little hope for its long-term survival in these habitats.