Rufous-fronted Parakeet
A species of Northern Mountain Parakeets Scientific name : Bolborhynchus ferrugineifrons Genus : Northern Mountain Parakeets
Rufous-fronted Parakeet, A species of Northern Mountain Parakeets
Botanical name: Bolborhynchus ferrugineifrons
Genus: Northern Mountain Parakeets
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Nikolaj Mølgaard Thomsen 
Description
This parakeet grows to a length of about 18 cm (7 in) and the sexes are similar. This is a robust, small species with dull green plumage above and bluish-green wings. The lores and a narrow band on the forehead are brownish-red, and the cheeks, throat, breast and belly are yellowish-green. The short, pointed tail is green above and bluish-green below. There is a grey ring round the eye, the iris is brown, the beak is yellowish-horn and the feet are grey. 
Size
19 cm
Feeding Habits
Rufous-fronted Parakeet primarily forage on the ground, consuming a diet of grass seeds, such as Calamagrostis effusa, and also target seeds of frailejones, and flowers and achenes of Espeletia hartwegiana. They exhibit a unique behavior of consuming salt from livestock mineral feeders.
Habitat
The habitat of rufous-fronted Parakeet is characterized by semi-humid to humid environments, predominantly in montane scrub and elfin forest zones that interface with páramo biomes and agricultural regions. These areas are typified by a mixture of low-growing vegetation and forested areas, offering a variety of ecological niches suitable for rufous-fronted Parakeet.
Dite type
Granivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The species is endemic to Colombia where it is found in two areas of the High Andes at altitudes between about 3,000 and 4,000 m (10,000 and 13,000 ft). The largest population is on the Volcán Ruiz-Tolima massif in the Central Cordillera but there is a smaller population on Puracé Volcano in the Cauca Department, and the bird's range may well include the intervening area. Its typical habitat is páramo, a high altitude grass and shrub ecosystem lying between the high snow-capped mountains and the montane forest below, and sub-páramo. It is also present in montane shrublands, and even agricultural land at high elevations.
Species Status
B. ferrugineifrons used to be considered "endangered" but the International Union for Conservation of Nature has now assessed its conservation status as "vulnerable", estimating that there are between 2000 and 4000 individual birds, and that the number is probably decreasing. Its habitat is increasingly being used for harvesting timber and for farming; habitat destruction takes place as the páramo vegetation is burned to promote new growth, and increasing numbers of livestock are grazed. However, the birds are present in a number of protected areas and seem to be able to tolerate some disturbance of their habitat, sometimes foraging in upland pastureland and arable land.
Photo By Nikolaj Mølgaard Thomsen 
Scientific Classification
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