Green-thighed parrot

Green-thighed parrot
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Superfamily: Psittacoidea
Family: Psittacidae
Subfamily: Arinae
Genus: Pionites
Species: P. leucogaster
Binomial name
Pionites leucogaster
(Kuhl, 1820)

The green-thighed parrot (Pionites leucogaster) is one of the four species in the genus Pionites of the Psittacidae family.[2] Originally the species Pionites leucogaster (also known as the white-bellied parrot or white-bellied caique in the aviculture business) contain three subspecies including the nominate race, but recent morphological work suggests the species should be split into three.[2]

It is found in humid forest and wooded habitats in the Amazon south of the Amazon River in Brazil. It is generally fairly common throughout its range and is easily seen in a wide range of protected areas, such as the Cristalino State Park (near Alta Floresta), Xingu National Park and Amazônia National Park in Brazil.

Description

The green-thighed parrot has an orange-yellow head and vent, a white belly, green wings, thighs and back, bluish primary feathers, a pinkish-horn beak, and pinkish legs and feet. Juveniles have brownish or black feathers on the head and nape, yellow feathers on the white belly, and greyish legs. Generally, the off-colored feathers will be lost and replaced by orange or white feathers respectively as the bird matures. Young birds also have dark brown irises, which will change to a rust or orange with age. The white breast feathers of wild caiques are often stained a chestnut brown (or "isobel") color. This may be due to tannin staining, as result of their particular affinity for bathing by rubbing their bodies against wet leaves and other plant matter.[3]

The head and nape plumage of the white-bellied parrot has been observed to fluoresce strongly under ultraviolet light.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pionites leucogaster.
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Pionites leucogaster". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Kirwan, G.M. (2014). Black-legged Parrot (Pionites xanthomerius). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.) (2014). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/467506 on 3 January 2015)
  3. McMichael, John. "Color". The Caique Site. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  4. Davidhazy, Andrew. "More Scientific and Technical Photographs". Retrieved 19 December 2013.
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