PARROTS AND MACAWS   -   PSITTACIDAE   -   PART I

Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus Caiman Lodge, Mato Grosso de Sul state, Brazil. A great one to start the gallery with, as it's the world's biggest and possibly most spectacular parrot. While they are best known from the Pantanal, they also occur locally throughout the eastern parts of the Amazon. They are not particularly shy; I photographed these in someone's front yard!

Indigo (Lear's) Macaw Anodorhynchus leari Fazenda Nova Esperança, Canudos-Jeremoaba road, Bahia state, Brazil. A smaller and far rarer version of the Hyacinth Macaw. Considered Critically Endangered by Birdlife International, numbers at one point dropped to fewer than 150 individuals. They have made a tremendous comeback in recent years, and Paul Salaman of ABC recently told me that he observed 700 birds coming to roost in mid 2007.

Indigo (Lear's) Macaw Anodorhynchus leari Fazenda Nova Esperança, Canudos-Jeremoaba road, Bahia state, Brazil. Here's a flock feasting on corn filched out of a farmer's field. Fortunately, the farmers now use firecrackers to scare the birds away, not shotguns.

Scarlet Macaw Ara macao macao Yasuní NP, Orellana province, Ecuador. These were at the clay lick that's about a kilometer south of the Rio Napo.

Red-and-green Macaw Ara chloroptera Blanquillo macaw lick, Madre de Dios department, Peru. It's an amazing site to see a dozen of these birds clinging and flapping along the riverbank. They're the star attaction even though many other smaller parrots also visit the lick.

Red-and-green Macaw Ara chloroptera Serra dos Carajás, Pará state, Brazil. It's a monotypic despite ranging widely throughout the Amazon. It even occors locally west of the Andes in Venezuela, Colombia, and Panama.

Red-bellied Macaw Orthopsittaca manilata About 5 km north of Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas state, Brazil. These guys love Mauritia palms, you hardly ever see them away from them unless they are flying from on patch to another. I also took some video of them, which you can find on the Internet Bird Collection (click here).

Blue-winged Macaw Primolius maracana Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Blue-winged Macaws seem to be quite tolerant of different habitats. While it is still mainly a forest bird, it will wander widely in search of food. This one was foraging in Cerrado habitat, dominated by bushes only a few meters high. This species, as well as the other members of the genus, were formerly places in the genus Propyrrhura.

Blue-headed Macaw Primolius couloni Atalaya ridge, Cusco department, Peru. Horribly backlit, and the photo does not do it justice, but seeing a pair of these beauties this close was a really special experience. This was on a Tropical Birding tour to Manu that I led in 2005. It has a fairly resticted range, occuring mainly in SE Peru, but also getting into far W Brazil and NW Bolivia.

Red-shouldered Macaw Diopsittaca nobilis longipennis El Refugio Huanchaca, Santa Cruz department, Bolivia. The smallest macaw, no larger than some of the parakeets. They like palm groves as well, but are not so exclusively tied to Mauritia palms as the Red-bellied.

Yellow-eared Parrot Ognorhynchus icterotis Above Jardin, Antioquia department, Colombia. One of the world's rarest parrots. It is Critically Endangered with a population estimated at less than 200 individuals (BirdLife). Reasons for its decline seem to be mainly due to hunting and the loss of the Wax Palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), which it uses for nesting and roosting. There are no recent records from Ecuador, but in Colombia it is making a comeback thanks to the conservation efforts by ProAves Colombia.

Blue-crowned Parakeet Aratinga acuticaudata haemorrhous Pousada Rio Claro (Pantanal lodge), Mato Grosso state, Brazil. This pair was taking shelter from the mid-day heat below the canopy of a small tree. The conditions were impossible for a good photo, but at least you can see two key field marks: the red at the base of the undertail, and the lack of any red or yellow in the bend of the wing. Thanks to Rasmus Boegh for correctly identifying the race, based on the mostly pale lower mandible and the lack of blue on the cheeks.

Scarlet-fronted Parakeet Aratinga wagleri transilis Caripe, Monagas state, Venezuela. One member of a large flock that was feeding in an Erythrina tree by the side of the road.

Golden-capped Parakeet Aratinga auricapillus aurifrons Serra da Canastra NP, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. A gorgeous yet threatened species endemic to Brazil. Thanks to severe habitat loss, they are now quite scarce throughout their range. They are still seen regularly in and around protected areas like Serra da Canastra NP.		Peach-fronted Parakeet Aratinga aurea Michelin Forest, Ituberá, Bahia state, Brazil. A common parakeet that ranges widely in non-forest habitats, mainly in Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.

Dusky-headed Parakeet Aratinga weddellii Yasuní NP, Orellana province, Ecuador. A big flock on a clay lick next to the Napo river. This is a different lick than the one that the Scarlet Macaws above were at. This is the first of several shots taken there.

Brown-throated Parakeet Aratinga pertinax surinama Caño Colorado, Monagas state, Venezuela. This one seems to replace the Peach-fronted in northern South America, occurring in similar habitats.

Cactus (Caatinga) Parakeet Aratinga cactorum cactorum Boa Nova, Bahia state, Brazil Closely related to the previous two species, occurring in dry caatinga scrub and woodland in northeastern Brazil.

Nanday Parakeet Nandayus nenday Caiman Lodge, Mato Grosso de Sul state, Brazil. Sometimes called Black-hooded Parakeet for obvious reasons. This was the most common parakeet at Caiman Lodge.		Nanday Parakeet Nandayus nenday Caiman Lodge, Mato Grosso de Sul state, Brazil. Here's a different shot showing a pair together in early-morning sunlight.

Golden-plumed Parakeet Leptosittaca branickii Reserva El Mirador, Quindío department, Colombia. A pair nesting in artificial nest boxes. The birds learned to use them quickly, which is really great, since one of the reasons for their decline was a lack of suitable nesting cavities.

Maroon-bellied Parakeet Pyrrhura frontalis frontalis Hotel do Ypê, Itaitiaia NP, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Sometimes called Reddish-bellied Parakeet. This is one of the most common parakeets in the Atlantic Forest.		Painted Parakeet Pyrrhura picta amazonum Serra dos Carajás, Pará state, Brazil. Recent research suggests that this race deserves full species status. When split, it is called Hellmayr's Parakeet. Reference: Joseph, L. 2002. Geographical variation, taxonomy and distribution of some Amazonian Pyrrhura parakeets. Ornitologia Neotropical 13: 337-363.

Green-cheeked Parakeet Pyrrhura molinae sordida Caiman Lodge, Mato Grosso de Sul state, Brazil. Very similar to P. frontalis above, differring mainly in the color of the crown.

Santa Marta Parakeet Pyrrhura viridicata San Lorenzo ridge, Sierra de Santa Marta, Magdalena dept., Colombia. An endangered parakeet that is endemic to the Santa Marta mountains of northern Colombia.

White-necked Parakeet Pyrrhura albipectus Rio Bombuscaro/Podocarpus NP, Zamora-Chinchipe province, Ecador. Also called White-breasted Parakeet. It used to be one of mainland Ecuador's few endemics, but a few years ago it was found in adjacent Peru. This photo can now be seen on a huge billboard put up by the Ministry of Tourism just before arriving in the town of Zamora. I almost drove off the road when I first saw it...

Rose-headed Parakeet Pyrrhura rhodocephala Rio Frio valley, Mérida state, Venezuela. A pretty parakeet endemic to the Andes of Venezuela. Hilty calls it Rose-crowned Parakeet, probably a better name for it.

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