Blue-headed Parrot
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| Pionus menstruus (Linnaeus, 1766) |
The Blue-headed Parrot also known as The Blue-headed Pionus, Pionus menstruus, is a medium large parrot. It is a resident breeding bird in tropical Central and South America, from Costa Rica and Trinidad south to Bolivia and Brazil.
Its habitat is forest and semi-open country, including cultivated areas. The Blue-headed Parrot lays three to four white eggs in a tree cavity.
The Blue-headed Parrot is about 27 cm long and weighs 245 g. It is mainly green with a blue head, neck and upper breast, red undertail, and some yellow on the wing coverts. Sexes are alike, but immatures have less blue on the head, as well as red or pinkish feathers around the ceres. They molt into their adult plumage at about 8 months of age, but it can take up to two years for the full blue hood to emerge.
Blue-headed Parrots are noisy birds and make light, high-pitched squeaking sweenkcalls. They eat fruit and seeds, and sometimes grain. They roost communally in palm and other trees, and large numbers can be seen at the roost sites at dawn and dusk.
Blue Headed Pionus Parrots are increasingly popular as pets. Compared to other parrot species (Amazons for example) they are very quiet. They are affectionate, but not known for their talking ability.
Some suggest that the Blue-headed Parrot was the inspiration for Monty Python's "Dead Parrot Sketch."
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Pionus menstruus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- ffrench, Richard (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd edition, Comstock Publishing. ISBN 0-8014-9792-2.
- Hilty, Steven L (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
