The genus Pyrrhura includes a rich set of small to medium-sized species of parakeets, mostly confined to dense habitats in South America. Also, they inhabit dry as well as tall rainforests which occur from sea level up to 2000m. These birds exploit several tree species and use a variety of food items, from nectar to pure seeds. All have long, pointed tails, a mainly green plumage, and a relatively narrow, dark greyish to white eye-ring. Many have scaly or barred chest-patterns and a whitish, pale grey, buff or reddish ear-patch. They typically move around in small, noisy flocks, flying swiftly at or below canopy level. Once settled in a tree they tend to be silent (especially if aware of danger) and difficult to spot. They nest in a tree-crevice.
Several species of Pyrrhura parakeet have more or less buffy breasts, but no other species is as pale-breasted as is the White-necked Parakeet: the sides of the neck are white, and the throat and breast are white, more or less tinged with pale yellow. Brightly coloured, boldly marked parakeet. Dusky crown with pale grey fringes on hind part, thin reddish frontal band, yellow-and-green scaled cheeks and orange ear-coverts, full white collar and yellow breast, green belly and rest of upperparts. Green wings with red primary coverts and carpal area, and bluish primaries, green tail, dull red on underside. Immature lacks frontal band and has paler ear-coverts.
Listen to the sound of White-breasted Parakeet
Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto
recorded by Daniel Lane
South America : Southeast Ecuador. Pyrrhura albipectus is confined to three areas in south-east Ecuador: Podocarpus National Park, Cordillera de Cutucu and Cordillera del Condor. Though its numbers appear relatively low, with a total population possibly of only a few thousand individuals, it is apparently common in Podocarpus National Park. There are now also confirmed records from as far south as Panguri in Zamora- Chinchipe. It has also recently been observed in the adjacent parts of the Cordillera del Condor, Peru with a published sighting from Mirador Condor in Morona-Santiago Province. These range extensions suggest that it is not as severely threatened as formerly feared.
This parrot inhabits upper tropical forest at 900-2,000 m. It usually occurs in flocks of 4-20
individuals, foraging in fruiting trees within primary forest or clearings. It also occurs in partially and
severely degraded habitat around Podocarpus National Park
White-breasted Parakeets fly in small, close flocks, often in twisting flight through the canopy, and feed in the canopy on a variety of fruits; otherwise very little is known about the biology of this species.
Video White-breasted Parakeet
copyright: Ingrid Grunwald
This species qualifies as Vulnerable because it occurs at few locations and has a small range in which habitat (and presumably the population) is declining. Habitat destruction is the principal concern, as upper tropical zone forests east of the Andes are being cleared at an alarming rate.
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