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Blue-throated Parakeet
Blue-chested Parakeet
Conservation statusVulnerable
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Pyrrhura
Species: P. cruentata
Binomial name
Pyrrhura cruentata
(Wied, 1820)
The Blue-throated Parakeet, Pyrrhura cruentata also known as Blue-chested Parakeet or Blue-throated Conure is a medium-sized, up to 30cm long, green parakeet with a dark brown crown, red ear-coverts, green cheek and orange yellow on sides of neck. It has a blue upper chest, yellow green uppertail, red underside tail feathers, greyish bill, blue outer wing feathers, and red shoulder and belly patch. Both sexes are similar. The young is duller than adult.
One of the largest among Pyrrhura parakeet, the Blue-chested Parakeet is endemic to lowland humid forests of coastal areas of Brazil. The diet consists mainly of tree-fruits, seeds, flowers and berries. It nests in a tree cavity. The female usually lays between two to four eggs.
Due to ongoing habitat loss, limited range, small population size and illegal trapping for the cage-bird trade, the Blue-chested Parakeet is evaluated as Vulnerable on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix I and II of CITES.
References
* BirdLife International (2004). Pyrrhura cruentata. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 24 February 2007. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
