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Blue-winged Parrotlet

 (Forpus xanthopterygius)

Also known as: Cobalt-rumped Parrotlet

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Blue-winged Parrotlets
© Brian Ralphs [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Blue-winged Parrotlet nests in tree cavities but will also try arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).

Academic Research

Related publications: Forpus xanthopterygius

Species Profile

Genus: Forpus | Species: xanthopterygius

Size:

12cm (4.7 in)

Weight:

28g (1.0 oz)

Subspecies including nominate:

three: F.x. xanthopterygius, F.x. flavissimus, F.x. flavescens

Colour Adult:

F.x. xanthopterygius: Male-in general olive/green to green in colour; eyes surrounded by bright green; purple/blue primary and secondary coverts; purple/blue bases to outer webs of secondary feathers; purple/blue underwing coverts, lower back and rump. Bill horn in colour with grey at base of upper mandible. Eye dark brown. Female-green instead of blue markings; green/yellow forehead and face.
F.x. flavissimus: Male-paler, more yellow/green; yellow/green forehead, cheeks and throat. Female-paler and more yellow/green.
F.x. flavescens: Male-as in xanthopterygius, but yellow/green paler; green/yellow forehead, cheeks, and underparts; paler blue on lower back and rump. Female-as in xanthopterygius, but yellow/green paler.

Colour Juvenile:

F.x. xanthopterygius: As in adults but immature male has blue markings intermixed with green.

Call:

Calls in flight or when perched are sad sounding albeit penetrating. While feeding twittering and chattering.

Listen Now

More Information:

Avibase

Content Sources:

CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
ML Media Collection Catalogue 34257, Blue-winged Parrotlet Forpus xanthopterygius, Parker, Theodore A., III, Loreto, Peru, Jan. 20 1985, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Site
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977. 2010 edition
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Psittacine Aviculture, Schubot, Clubb and Clubb, 1992.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Blue-winged Parrotlets
© Brian Ralphs [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Blue-winged Parrotlet nests in tree cavities but will also try arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).

Academic Research

Related publications: Forpus xanthopterygius

Species Care

Captive Status:

Uncommon in captivity.

Longevity:

10-20 yrs

Housing:

2 x 1 x 2m (6.5 x 3.3 x 6.5 ft) enclosure, or suspended indoor cage 120cm x 40cm x 50cm (46.8" x 15.6" x 19.5"), with roosting box.

Diet:

Seed mix such as: millet, canary grass seed, weed seed, wheat and oats; millet spray, sprouted or unsprouted; fruit such as: apple, pear, orange, banana, pomegranate; vegetables such as: carrot, celery, green beans, peas in the pod; berries such as: rose hips, mountain ash (rowan); green leaves such as: Swiss chard, dandelion, chickweed, lettuce; insectivorous food; complete kibble if taken.

Enrichment:

Provide tree stumps, branches (are avid chewers); areas for bathing.

Nest Box Size:

Nest log 15cm (6") in diameter, 30cm (11.7") high or 6" x 6" x 6" (15cm x 15cm x 15cm) vertical box.

Clutch Size:

3-7

Incubation Time:

21 days

Fledging Age:

35 days

Hatch Weight:

Not recorded.

Peak Weight:

Not recorded.

Weaning Weight:

Not recorded.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Blue-winged Parrotlets
© Brian Ralphs [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Blue-winged Parrotlet nests in tree cavities but will also try arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).

Academic Research

Related publications: Forpus xanthopterygius

Species Wild Status

World Population:

Unknown, stable.

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern

CITES Listing:

Appendix II

Threat Summary:

This species is not felt to have been affected by the wild bird trade.

Range:

F.x. xanthopterygius: NE Argentina in Misiones, NE Corrientes, E Chaco and E Formosa; and from Paraguay north through central and mideastern Brazil to N Bahia.
F.x. flavissimus: NE Brazil, from Maranhao, Ceara, and Paraiba south to N Bahia.
F.x. flavescens: CE Peru south to E Bolivia, in Beni and Santa Cruz.

Habitat:

Prefers drier wooded habitats such as open and riparian woodland, cerrado and caatinga; also found in savanna, palm groves, semi-arid scrubland and pastures. Found also along Amazon River in lighter riparian growth.

Wild Diet:

Eats fruits of Cecropia, seeds of Mikania and Trema mirantha and flowers of Ambrosia and Marcgravia.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Will forage in the open and sometimes on the ground. Highly social; found in groups of up to 50 individuals.

Clutch and Egg Size:

3-7 spherical to elliptical eggs, 19.0 x 15.0mm (0.7 x 0.6 in)

Breeding Season:

October-March; nest is in tree cavity (ie Cecropia), termite mound, fence-post or in abandoned nest of Rufous Hornero (Furnarius rufus).

Related Links:

Wikipedia
Research: Morphological variability and taxonomy of the Blue-winged Parrotlet

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Blue-winged Parrotlets
© Brian Ralphs [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Blue-winged Parrotlet nests in tree cavities but will also try arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).

Academic Research

Related publications: Forpus xanthopterygius

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