The riparian parrotlet (''Forpus crassirostris'') or large-billed parrotlet is a species of

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittaco ...

in the family

Psittacidae The family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrots. It comprises the roughly 10 species of subfamily Psittacinae (the Old World or Afrotropical parrots) and 157 of subfamily Arinae (the New World or Neotro ...

Description

Riparian parrotlets are typically long and weigh about . Their bodies are mostly yellow-green. Eyes are dark brown and beaks and feet are light peach. Riparian parrotlets are sexually dimorphic: males have blue rumps and lower backs, with blue feathers along the leading edges of their wings and blue secondaries; primary coverts are blue-gray. Females have no blue feathers and a yellow-green belly.

Distribution and habitat

Riparian parrotlets are found in southeastern Colombia to northern

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and western

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. There is a small population on São Sebastião Island. Though they do not fully migrate, it has been suggested that riparian parrotlets are altitudinal migrants: abundance of the species in

lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

areas increased during winter and spring; this is likely because during these seasons, the main plants of the large-billed parrotlets' diet were budding and providing more food. Riparian parrotlets tend to inhabit forest edges,

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

woodlands, and degraded or

deforested Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

areas.

Conservation

This species is currently unrecognized by 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 the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, so it does not have an official conservation status. Its populations are included in estimates of cobalt-rumped parrotlets, which are listed as

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. Th ...

with a stable population. It is suggested that the population of riparian parrotlets is relatively low.

Behavior and ecology

Social

Like all members 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 ...

'', riparian parrotlets are highly

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 w ...

and are often seen in flocks of up to 100 birds.

Reproduction

Riparian parrotlets nest in tree cavities or similar places. They have been known to use the abandoned nests of rufous horneros and other unrelated species. Females lay 3-7 small white eggs, which are incubated for approximately 18 days before hatching.

Diet

Riparian parrotlets feed on seeds, fruits, flowers, buds, and other plants. They favor

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (b ...

, ''

Cecropia ''Cecropia'' is a Neotropical genus consisting of 61 recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees. The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics, with the majority of the speci ...

'' sp., '' Handroanthus serratifolius'' flowers and nectar, and ''

Ceiba speciosa ''Ceiba speciosa'', the floss silk tree (formerly ''Chorisia speciosa''), is a species of deciduous tree that is native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South America. It has several local common names, such as ''palo borracho'' (in ...

'' fruits.

Taxonomy

According to most studies, the riparian parrotlet is considered a subspecies of the

cobalt-rumped parrotlet The cobalt-rumped parrotlet (''Forpus xanthopterygius'') or blue-winged parrotlet is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. There are two subspecies: Salvadori's cobalt-rumped parrotlet (''F. x. flavescens'') and Hellmayr's cobalt-rumpe ...

as ''Forpus xanthopterygius crassirostris''. However, there are some studies that argue that its morphological differences support the existence of the large-billed parrotlet as its own species, ''F. crassirostris''. There is continuing debate over the validity of this claim. Most taxonomic authorities (including the

American Ornithological Society The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

) do not recognize this change in classification.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21191085 riparian parrotlet Birds of Brazil Birds of Peru riparian parrotlet Psittacidae Parrots Parrots of South America