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

Endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...

to Colombia, its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...

s are high-altitude

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It ...

, high-altitude

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

and

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "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 th ...

. It is threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

and is classified as "

vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

" by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

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 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 found els ...

to Colombia 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 Volcan or Volcán may refer to: Places *Volcán, Panama, town in Panama *Volcán (Jujuy), town in Argentina Other uses *Volcan (mining company), Peruvian mining company *Volcán River, Chile *Volcán Lake, Bolivia People with the surname *Erin V ...

in the Central Cordillera but there is a smaller population on Puracé Volcano in the Cauca Department, and the bird's range may well include the intervening area. Its typical habitat is

páramo Páramo () can 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 narrowe ...

, a high altitude grass and shrub

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

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 and inv ...

" but the

has now assessed its conservation status as "

", 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 The rufous-fronted parakeet (''Bolborhynchus ferrugineifrons'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. Endemism, Endemic to Colombia, its natural habitats are high-altitude shrubland, high-altitude grassland and arable land. It is thre ...

Birds of the Colombian Andes

Endemic birds of Colombia Taxonomy articles created by Polbot