The Mexican parrotlet (''Forpus cyanopygius''), also known as the turquoise-rumped parrotlet or the Mexican blue-rumped parrotlet, is a species of

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

in the family

Psittacidae The Family (biology), family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrots. It comprises the 12 species of subfamily Psittacinae (the Afrotropics, Afrotropical parrots) and 167 of subfamily Arinae (the New World or ...

. There are two

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

: Grayson's parrotlet or the Tres Marias parrotlet (''F. c. insularis'') and ''F. c. cyanopygius''.

Description

Distribution and habitat

Mexican parrotlets are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to western

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Their range extends from southern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

Colima Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...

. This species is the northernmost member of the genus ''

Forpus ''Forpus'' is a genus of neotropical parrots in the family Psittacidae. It is the only genus in the Forpini tribe of the subfamily Arinae. Taxonomy The genus ''Forpus'' was introduced in 1858 by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie. The type spec ...

''. Though they are

non-migratory Bird migration is a seasonal movement of birds between breeding and wintering grounds that occurs twice a year. It is typically from north to south or from south to north. Animal migration, Migration is inherently risky, due to predation and ...

, they wander throughout their range to follow the blooming and growth patterns of the plants they prefer to feed on. Natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones immediately to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Ge ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

dry scrublands, deciduous

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s, open grasslands with scattered trees, heavily degraded former

, plantations, and woodlands along watercourses. They are not found at altitudes higher than above sea level.

Conservation

According to the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is an inventory of the global conservation status and extinction risk of biological ...

, Mexican parrotlets are

Near Threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been Conservation status, categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to Endangered species, endangerment in the ne ...

. The population is estimated to be 50,000 or greater, but it is decreasing due to a combination of the illegal hunting and trapping of wild individuals and

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

. Based on records created before 1995, there were approximately 208,000 individuals in

. According to records from 1996 to 2013, around 107,000 remain, which represents a 48.4% drop in population.

Threats

It is estimated that up to 8,000 individuals are illegally captured for the pet trade every year. There are no current conservation measures in place, but many areas across the Mexican parrotlet's range are already

protected Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

Behavior

Social

Mexican parrotlets are highly social and

gregarious Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups (gregariousness) and form cooperative societies. Sociality is a survival response to evolutionary pressures. For example, when a mother was ...

birds, most often found in flocks of 4–30 individuals made up of pairs and family groups. When flying in these flocks, they fly quickly and in relatively tight formations. They create a variety of squeaky, excited-sounding chirps while perched or in flight. While feeding, they make occasional squawks.

Reproduction

Mexican parrotlets typically breed between May and July, and lay

clutches A clutch is a mechanical device that allows an output shaft to be disconnected from a rotating input shaft. The clutch's input shaft is typically attached to a motor, while the clutch's output shaft is connected to the mechanism that does the ...

of up to 3 small, white eggs. They are typically incubated for at least 19 days, and chicks fledge 4–5 weeks after hatching. Mexican parrotlets can live to be over 20 years old. Mexican parrotlets usually nest in

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

cavities,

cacti A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

, and other similar structures.

Diet

Mexican parrotlets most commonly eat seeds, grass seeds, berries, and ''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family (biology), family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few spe ...

'' (fig) fruits, which may be ripe or half-ripe. They forage both on the ground and in trees and shrubs as large flocks. They are known to wander frequently in search of food, making regional population estimates difficult.

Aviculture

Mexican parrotlets are uncommon, though not unheard of, in aviculture. Because of their protections, they cannot legally be captured from the wild and sold as pets, so the captive population relies on breeding programs.

References

External links

World Parrot Trust
Parrot Encyclopedia: species profile
Neotropical Birds
by Cornell Lab of Ornithology: species profile
eBird
by Cornell Lab of Ornithology: species profile {{Taxonbar, from=Q1084869 Forpus Endemic birds of Mexico Parrotlet, Mexican Near threatened fauna of North America Birds described in 1856 Taxa named by Charles de Souancé Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Birds of the Sierra Madre Occidental Jalisco dry forests