The rufous-fronted parakeet (''Bolborhynchus ferrugineifrons'') 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 ...

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 ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, 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 ...

s are high-altitude

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...

, high-altitude

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

and

arable land Arable land (from the , "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for the purposes of a ...

. It is threatened by

habitat destruction 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 ...

and is classified as " vulnerable" by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature 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 stat ...

Description

This parakeet grows to a length of about and the sexes are similar. This is a robust, small species with dull green plumage above and bluish-green wings. The lores and a narrow band on the forehead are brownish-red, and the cheeks, throat, breast and belly are yellowish-green. The short, pointed tail is green above and bluish-green below. There is a grey ring round the eye, the iris is brown, the beak is yellowish-horn and the feet are grey.

Distribution and habitat

The species is

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 ...

where it is found in two areas of the High Andes at altitudes between about . The largest population is on the Volcán Ruiz-Tolima massif in the Central Cordillera but there is a smaller population on Puracé Volcano in the

Cauca Department Cauca Department (, ) is a department of Southwestern Colombia. Located in the southwestern part of the country, facing the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Valle del Cauca Department to the north, Tolima Department to the northeast, Huila De ...

, and the bird's range may well include the intervening area. Its typical habitat is

páramo Páramo () may refer to a variety of alpine tundra ecosystems located in the Andes Mountain Range, South America. Some ecologists describe the páramo broadly as "all high, tropical, montane vegetation above the continuous timberline". A narrower ...

, a high altitude grass and shrub

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...

lying between the high snow-capped mountains and the montane forest below, and sub-páramo. It is also present in montane shrublands, and even agricultural land at high elevations.

Ecology

The rufous-fronted parakeet is gregarious, forming small flocks of 10 to 100. It feeds mostly on the ground, eating grass seed, flowers and fruits. It roosts on cliffs and also nests there, but little is known of its reproductive habits.

Status

''B. ferrugineifrons'' used to be considered "

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 ...

" but the

has now assessed its conservation status as " vulnerable", estimating that there are between 2000 and 4000 individual birds, and that the number is probably decreasing. Its habitat is increasingly being used for harvesting timber and for farming; habitat destruction takes place as the páramo vegetation is burned to promote new growth, and increasing numbers of livestock are grazed. However, the birds are present in a number of protected areas and seem to be able to tolerate some disturbance of their habitat, sometimes foraging in upland pastureland and arable land.

References

External links

BirdLife Species Factsheet.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1263475 rufous-fronted parakeet Birds of the Colombian Andes rufous-fronted parakeet Endemic birds of Colombia Parakeets Taxonomy articles created by Polbot