Home > All About Parrots > Parrot Encyclopedia

|

Species Profile

Genus:
Pyrrhura

Species:
melanura

Size:	Adult Weight:
24cm (9.4 in)	83-85g (3-3.3 oz)

Races including nominate:
five: P.m. melanura, P.m. souancei, P.m. berlepschi, P.m. pacifica, P.m. chapmani

Colourization Adult:
P.m. melanura: both adults crown to nape coloured brown, with obvious green margins to feathers; cheeks and ear coverts green; breast green with white/buff and brown scalloping; primary coverts red, widely tipped with orange/yellow; tail dark brown/red, thinly marked green toward base. Bill pale grey. Eye ring bare and white, eye brown. P.m. souancei: both adults as in melanura, but with dusky brown wash on breast and more widely marked grey/white; no orange/yellow tips to red primary coverts; varying red feathers on carpal (wrist) edge on wing; abdomen tinged brown/red, forming, in some birds, a faded patch; tail more widely green toward base. P.m. berlepschi: both adults as in souancei, but feathers on breast tipped dusky brown and more widely barred with grey/white, in some birds appearing almost completely white; cheeks brighter green tinted with olive; uniform red on carpal edge; abdomen more uniformly tinted brown/red. P.m. pacifica: both adults different from melanura by green forecrown; breast narrowly scalloped buff/white; no orange/yellow tips to red primary coverts; carpal edge red; red/brown on abdomen absent; tail shorter with more red and less brown. Eye ring feathered and skin around eye grey. P.m. chapmani: both adults differ from souancei by having breast and neck entirely brown, widely barred with buff/white and darker brown; crown to nape brown in colour without green edging to feathers; red in median wing covert, but primary coverts both red and green interchangeably; more noticeable red/brown marking on abdomen; tail narrowly green toward base; larger in size.

Colourization Juvenile: As in adults but with fainter marking on breast, shorter tail and paler grey bill.

Call: Calls have been noted particularly harsh, especially those in flight, repeated quickly and often from many members of group.

Listen now

Recent Academic Research: Google Scholar - search results