General

Lilac-crowned Parrot: Medium-sized green parrot with pale purple crown and red forehead. In flight shows blue-black trim on flight feathers and large red patch on secondaries. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has dark brown eyes.

Range and Habitat

Lilac-crowned Parrot: Inhabits forested slopes and mountains along nearly the full length of western Mexico, but populations are seriously diminished due to deforestation and the pet trade. Small numbers of escaped cage birds are now established in Los Angeles, California, south Texas, and Florida.

Breeding and Nesting

Lilac-crowned Parrot: Lays two or three white eggs in February in a tree cavity. Female incubates eggs for 28 days, and young leave the nest at 60 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Lilac-crowned Parrot: Poorly known, but travels in pairs or loose flocks and has been noted feeding on figs and seeds.

Vocalization

Lilac-crowned Parrot: Harsh, variable screeching "kree-kree."

Similar Species

Lilac-crowned Parrot: Red-crowned Parrot has more red on head and blue instead of purple on the crown. Red-lored Parrot has yellow cheeks and shorter tail.