Pacific Parakeet
Psittacara strenuus


Periquito Pacífico

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Description Periquito Pacific:

Of 33 cm.. length.

The Pacific Parakeet (Psittacara strenuus) has most of its plumage bright green. The underparts are yellowish. Some birds may have some feathers Orange at neck and throat in variable patterns. Blue tint on primary coverts and vane outer of the flight feather. Underwing-coverts off yellowish green. The lower feathers of the wings they are yellowish metal.

The bill color horn. Eye ring bare greyish Brown. Iris orange. The legs greyish pale.

The immature they are similar to the adults but with the irises brown.

Note:

The Pacific Parakeet (Psittacara strenuus) for a long time it was considered a subspecies of Psittacara holochlorus

Pacific Parakeet Habitat:

The Pacific Parakeet It is in a wide variety of forest types, including wetlands, semi-Bosque, open scrub forests, plantations and farmland with scattered groves.

In Mexico, they live in semi-deciduous forests, riparian vegetation and in the form of patches of semi-deciduous medium and perennial trees of Manilkara zapota, Ceiba petandra, Cedrela odorata, Enterolobyum ciclocarpum, Cordia allidora, Bursera simaruba, Brosimum alicastrum.

Sedentary, but it probably makes local movements in response to food availability.

Outside the breeding season can be seen in large flocks noisy, often in groups of up to 200 birds or more, especially where is food abundant.

In El Salvador, occupy the suburbs of La Sultana, Antiguo Cuscatlán, which it provided an opportunity to estimate the population in the roost, to assess seasonal variations and changes over one year (October 2003 – September 2004). the resting places were also observed in this area and found that these places are used by other parrots as Brotogeris jugularis, Psittacara rubritorquis and other species that probably escaped from captivity.

Reproduction:

Nest in tree cavities, on the walls of rocky cliffs or in termite colonies. Other details about their reproductive behavior remain unknown. The size of the implementation tends to be of 4 eggs.

A colony of the Pacific Parakeet (Psittacara strenuus) was studied in the Masaya Volcano National Park in Nicaragua from 1993 until 1994.

The parakeets nested in two craters of the Nindiri volcano. They dug their nests in the soft Earth of the wall of the volcano and began to settle on the volcano at the end of the dry season. They nested Once a year, in the rainy season, and they gradually abandoned the volcano toward the end of that season, when their offspring could be worth if same. All parakeets left the volcano during the morning and it was a count in the course of the afternoon, When they return from their feeding grounds.

Food:

Little is known about of its diet. They feed on fruits and seeds, they sometimes attack cereal crops.

Distribution of the Pacific Parakeet:

Endemic to the Pacific slope of the Isthmus of Central America, of Oaxaca up to the middle of Nicaragua, mountainous areas of Guatemala to 2.100 meters and El Salvador, where there is a common permanent resident that inhabits wooded or semi-boscosas regions at altitudes of 1.350 m.

Distribution in Mexico: The Pacific from the East slope of Oaxaca until Chiapas. In areas in Chiapas and Oaxaca they have disappeared from tropical forests

Conservation:

The Pacific Parakeet is not threatened globally. It is considered one threatened species in Mexican legislation. Threatened on NAME-059-ECOL-2001. CITES Appendix II. This species should be classified as in Danger of extinction by their reduced distribution, deforestation of its Habitat and illegal trafficking.

However,They show a high adaptability to changes in natural ecosystems caused by the human.

There are no programs for the conservation of the species.

Pacific Parakeet in captivity:

Rare in captivity.

Its marketing is prohibited in Mexico.

The illegal trade in parrots and macaws is held thanks to demand from consumers. If the demand for these wild species is reduced, then the offer would be reduced and thus the illegal catch.

If you create an international demand of these captive-bred parrots, There will be traders without scruples who will try to meet the demand with individuals caught illegally, which will only serve to undermine more wild populations.

Alternative names:

- Pacific Parakeet, Pacific Conure (inglés).
- Conure de Ridgway, Perruche du Pacifique (francés).
- Mexikosittich, Mexicosittich (alemán).
- Periquito-do-pacífico (portugués).
- Aratinga del Pacífico, Perico Centroamericano, Perico Gorgirrojo, Perico Verde Centroamericano, Periquito del Pacífico, Periquito Pacífico, Perico Chocoyo, Barranqueño (español).
- Periquito del Pacífico (Honduras).
- perico centroamericano, Perico Verde Centroamericano, Periquito pacífico (México).
- Perico Gorgirrojo (Nicaragua).

Robert Ridgway
Robert Ridgway

Scientific classification:

- Orden: Psittaciformes
- Familia: Psittacidae
- Genus: Psittacara
- Nombre científico: Psittacara strenuus
- Citation: (Ridgway, 1915)
- Protónimo: Conurus holochlorus strenuus

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Sources:

Avibase
– Parrots of the World – Forshaw Joseph M
– Parrots A Guide to the Parrots of the World – Tony Juniper & Mike Parr
– Colony breeding of the Pacific Parakeet Aratinga strenua Ridgway 1915 in the Masaya Volcano National Park, Nicaragua – researchgate
pericosmexico
academia.edu

Photos:

(1) – Psittacara strenuus (Chocoyo) on the cruise, Nicaragua By SergioTorresC (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Sounds: Frank Lambert (Xeno-canto)

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