Mountain Parakeet
A species of Southern Mountain Parakeets Scientific name : Psilopsiagon aurifrons Genus : Southern Mountain Parakeets
Mountain Parakeet, A species of Southern Mountain Parakeets
Botanical name: Psilopsiagon aurifrons
Genus: Southern Mountain Parakeets
Content
Description General Info
Description
This small parrot reaches about 18 cm (7 in) in length and weighs about 45 g (1.6 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies, P. a. aurifrons, has a green head, mantle, back and tail. The otherwise green primary feathers have blue outer webs. The face, throat and breast are yellow gradually fading to a yellowish-green belly. The eye is brown and the bill horn-coloured. The female is similar to the male but has a yellow forehead, and the juvenile resembles the female but has a shorter tail. Both sexes of P. a. margaritae are similar to the female P. a. aurifrons but are larger with shorter tails and the colour of the female's bill is grey. P. a. rubrirostris is a similar colour to P. a. margaritae but the head, breast and belly are a rather darker shade of green tinged with blue. The male's bill is pinkish-buff and the female's grey. The male and female P. a. robertsi resemble P. a. aurifrons but the belly is a darker shade of green and the chin and throat brighter yellow.
Size
19 cm
Nest Placement
Cavity
Feeding Habits
Mountain Parakeet primarily feed on buds and seeds of plants such as Lepidophyllum, Fabiana densa, and Adesmia. They forage in both bushes and on the ground in the puna zone.
Habitat
The habitat of mountain Parakeet typically includes riparian thickets, shrubby areas, and slopes with composite brush. Mountain Parakeet is also found in areas with dense fog vegetation, thorny scrubs, and regions characterized by puna cacti. Occasionally, mountain Parakeet can inhabit puna grasslands with scattered bushes. These birds also adapt to human-altered environments, frequenting gardens, cultivations, and city parks in arid coastal plains.
Dite type
Herbivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Distribution Area
The mountain parakeet is found in the Andes at altitudes between 1,000 and 4,500 metres (3,300 and 14,800 ft). Its range includes Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina. Its typical habitat is among vegetation near rivers, on bushy slopes, among scrub, on rough grassland with cacti and brush and agricultural land. It also occurs in man-made environments such as parks and gardens. The four subspecies occupy separate, non-overlapping parts of the range. This species does not migrate, but the birds move to higher altitudes in summer and lower ones in winter.
Species Status
The mountain parakeet has a very wide range and is fairly common in suitable habitat over much of that range. The IUCN has listed its conservation status as being of "least concern".