Blue-crowned Parakeet

Aratinga acuticaudataOrder: PSITTACIFORMES Family: Parakeets and Parrots (Psittacidae)

Codes: Common Name: Non AOU Scientific Name: ARAACU ITIS Taxonomic No.: 554900

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Overview

Blue-crowned Parakeet: Medium-sized green parakeet with a blue head and red-orange highlights in long tail. White, feathless eye ring. The bill is bicolored with upper mandible pinkish and lower mandible is black (subspecies in northeastern Brazil has an all-pink bill). The legs and feet are pink.

Range and Habitat

Blue-crowned Parakeet: In its native range occurs in several disjunct populations in South America, one in the north of Columbia and Venezuela, another in eastern Brazil, and another stretching from Bolivia through Argentina. Small numbers of escaped captive birds are now established in Los Angeles, California and Florida. Uses dry open forests and grasslands, but in some portions of its range also uses semi-desert habitats.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body

Voice Text

"creeah creeah"

Interesting Facts

A group of parakeets is collectively known as a "chatter" and a "flock" of parakeets.

Bird Term Glossary

Author

Gary Owen Dick

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Blue-crowned Parakeet

● Song: "creeah creeah"

● Foraging & Feeding: Blue-crowned Parakeet: Travels in groups of 2 to 200 depending on season and abundance of food. May travel long distances between roosts and feeding areas. Flies fairly low over grasslands and open areas in search of seeds and fruit. Feeds in trees and on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Blue-crowned Parakeet: Little known. Lays two white eggs in tree cavities, probably from March to July. Female apparently incubates while male brings her food.

● Similar species: Blue-crowned Parakeet: Dusky-headed Parakeet has gray head and black bill, Black-hooded Parakeet has black head and bill, blue wash on throat and chest, and blue on tips of tail feathers and flight feathers. Mitred Parakeet has dull yellow bill, and red forehead with red scattered on head and neck.

Flight Pattern

Fast direct flight with rapid wingbeats.

● Range & Habitat: Blue-crowned Parakeet: In its native range occurs in several disjunct populations in South America, one in the north of Columbia and Venezuela, another in eastern Brazil, and another stretching from Bolivia through Argentina. Small numbers of escaped captive birds are now established in Los Angeles, California and Florida. Uses dry open forests and grasslands, but in some portions of its range also uses semi-desert habitats.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight7 Ounces

Perching-like Body

Eye ring

The circle around the eye formed of feathers that are a different color from the rest of the face.

Lower mandible

The lower part of the bill.

Upper mandible

The upper part of the bill.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America