The red-faced parrot (''Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops'') 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 ...

Taxonomy

The parrot is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

. Historically, it was treated as a subspecies of the rusty-faced parrot (''Hapalopsittaca amazonia''). However, a 1989 study by Graves & Uribe Restrepo found substantial evidence to regard it as a full species.

Habitat

Currently, the red-faced parrot has only been found in

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, mostly between the eastern

Andes mountain range The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

of southern Ecuador and the northwest region of Peru. More specifically, they inhabit mild forests of the provinces of

Azuay Azuay (, ), Province of Azuay is a province of Ecuador, created on 25 June 1824. It encompasses an area of . Its capital and largest city is Cuenca. It is located in the south center of Ecuador in the highlands. Its mountains reach above sea le ...

, Loja and

Morona-Santiago Morona Santiago () is a province in Ecuador. The province was established on February 24, 1954. The capital is Macas. Economy The provincial economy is industrially unexploited to its potential due to poor means of transportation. Its economy ...

and the Piura department in Peru. They are also found in Selva Alegre which has the largest population of red-faced parrots. Its 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 ...

is subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

s. They have been noted to reside in shrubby growth next to páramo. This parrot is known to have vocalizations to find other flocks of birds in their area.

Endangered species

The red-faced parrot is threatened by habitat loss. Due to a rapidly decreasing habitat, the red-faced parrot is now considered to be

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

and the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, and is starting to go extinct. Studies conducted in southern Ecuador by Mark Jacobs and Jon Walker revealed that the red-faced parrot predominantly resides in the cloud forests of Selva Alegre. These cloud forests are facing ongoing destruction for grazing and agriculture, relieving the red-faced parrot species of a habitat. At this time, habitat loss is the primary source of endangerment for the red-faced parrot. The population of the red-faced parrot in Selva Alegre estimates from a minimum of 169 to a maximum of 734. Most of the time these birds stay in flocks of 20. They tend to stay in one area, which means that habitat loss can be very dangerous. This small population size puts the red-faced parrot species at risk, as there are less individuals to mate with. This decrease in birth rate makes the species even more vulnerable to the devastating effects of the Selva Alegre habitat loss.

Breeding

The months between August and January are the red-faced parrots' ideal breeding months. These birds nest in trees and usually lay between two and three eggs. At this time, not much is known about the red-faced parrots' breeding behaviors.

Diet and foraging

In the main habitat of the red-faced parrot, they feed on a variety of foods. These include flowers and seeds,

miconia ''Miconia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the glory bush family, Melastomataceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas. The species are mostly shrubs and small to medium-sized trees up to 15 m tall. The generic name ...

fruits, viburnum

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone fruit, stone or pit (fruit), pit although many wikt:pip#Etymology 2, pips or seeds may be p ...

weinmannia ''Weinmannia'' is a genus of trees and shrubs in the family Cunoniaceae. It contains 90 species, which range from Mexico through Central and South America including the Caribbean, and to the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius and Réunion) in the weste ...

shoots, and parts of ericaceous trees.

Vocalizations

The Red-faced parrot species is known for their distinct flight call. It consists of several repeated calls of “chek-chek...chek-chek” or “chek-chek-chek…”. When in a perched position, they are noted to make a variety of calls. These include nasal calls, such as the sounds “kyek” and “crreet”.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1269559 Hapalopsittaca Birds of Ecuador Birds of Peru Birds described in 1876 Taxa named by Osbert Salvin Taxonomy articles created by Polbot