Blue-fronted Parrotlet
A species of Forest Parrotlets Scientific name : Touit dilectissimus Genus : Forest Parrotlets
Blue-fronted Parrotlet, A species of Forest Parrotlets
Botanical name: Touit dilectissimus
Genus: Forest Parrotlets
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Lars Petersson
Description
The blue-fronted parrotlet (Touit dilectissimus) is also known as the red-winged parrotlet (but see below). It is a parrot in N. South America from E. Panama down the west coastal Andes to Peru, with a second population around and south of Lake Maracaibo. It is 15 cm, green with a short tail, blue forehead with narrow band of red under eye, red shoulders and leading edge of underwing, and the remaining underwing coverts yellow. Edges of tail also yellowish. Usually found in humid, wet, and cloud forest from 800-1600m, it is occasionally spotted as low as 100m. Little known, as it is hard to see in the canopy where it usually lives and is most often seen while flying over the canopy. The red-fronted parrotlet (T. costaricensis) is, especially in older sources like ITIS, included in the blue-fronted parrotlet. Most modern authors consider them two species. Strictly speaking, the term "red-winged parrotlet" refers to the T. costaricensis - dilectissimus clade.
Size
18 cm
Life Expectancy
10-30 years
Nest Placement
Cavity
Feeding Habits
Blue-fronted Parrotlet, primarily frugivorous, consumes small fruits. It forages in flocks, indulging in fruit at the forest canopy. Unique adaptations include a specialized beak for manipulating fruit. Avoids unfamiliar dietary elaborations; prefers dawn and dusk feeding times.
Habitat
Blue-fronted Parrotlet typically inhabits cloud forests and tall second-growth woodlands within foothills and lower highland regions. They are found at elevations ranging from 100 to 1700 meters, predominantly between 500 and 1400 meters in the Andes, and between 1300 and 1600 meters in Venezuelan highlands. Their range occasionally extends into lowland areas, presumably on a seasonal basis.
Dite type
Frugivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Fruit
Photo By Lars Petersson
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Parrots Family
Parrots Genus
Forest Parrotlets Species
Blue-fronted Parrotlet