Pacific Parrotlet

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Pacific Parrotlet

Female

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittacidae
Genus:	Forpus
Species:	F. coelestis

Binomial name

Forpus coelestis
(Lesson, 1847)

The Pacific Parrotlet (Forpus coelestis) is a species of small parrot in the Psittacidae family, native to Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and heavily degraded former forest.

Parrotlets are the smallest of all parrots. Pacific Parrotlets are 5 1/2 inches in length. They come from South America in the area of Peru and Ecuador. There are seven species of Parrotlets. Only three of these species are kept as pets. Of these, the Pacific Parrotlet is the most common. It is sometimes called the Celestial Parrotlet.

The Pacific Parrotlet is green. The males have blue on their wings, backs and streaking back from their eyes. This is true of the male color mutation parrotlets also. Some of the color mutations include blue, American yellow, American White, European yellow and white, fallow, dark factor green and lutino.

This species is very common in pet stores and is valued by breeders. Its normal price range is 150-200 USD. This price is much lower than other species because since 1930 the US has an established breeding population in captivity before the CITES laws preventing importing wildlife from foreign countries. They have a cost of $2 (two) in Peruvian markets

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Forpus coelestis

[edit] Genera

[edit] Forpus

Forpus, the best-known genus of parrotlet, includes all species of parrotlet commonly kept as pets including the Pacific Parrotlet, Celestial Parrotlet, Mexican Parrotlet, and the Spectacled Parrotlet.