The Santa Marta parakeet (''Pyrrhura viridicata'') is an

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 ...

species of bird in subfamily

Arinae The neotropical parrots or New World parrots comprise about 150 species in 32 genera found throughout South America, South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and the southern United States. Among them are some of the most familia ...

of 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 ...

, the African and New World parrots. It 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 ...

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 ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The Santa Marta parakeet's exact placement within genus ''Pyrrhura'' is unsure.Botero-Delgadillo, E. (2020). Santa Marta Parakeet (''Pyrrhura viridicata''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.sampar1.01 retrieved 11 March 2023 The species 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 ...

Description

The Santa Marta parakeet is long. The sexes are the same. Adults have a mostly green head with a red forehead and brownish ear

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are small feathers behind t ...

. Their upperparts are green. Their breast and upper belly have a scarlet "belt" and the rest of their underparts are green. Their wing is mostly green with yellow to orange upperwing and underwing coverts; their

primaries Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pri ...

are blue. Their tail is dull reddish. Immature birds are similar to adults but without the red belt on their underside.

Distribution and habitat

The Santa Marta parakeet is found only in the

Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...

, an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia. Though it apparently was previously found on all sides of the range, it now appears to occur only along the north and northwestern slopes. It primarily inhabits humid pre-montane and

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 ...

, mostly in areas that receive at least of annual rainfall. It also less frequently occurs in

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has regenerated through largely natural processes after human-caused Disturbance (ecology), disturbances, such as Logging, timber harvest or agriculture clearing, or ...

and cultivated areas. In elevation it ranges between .

Behavior

Movement

The Santa Marta parakeet does not migrate, but it is somewhat nomadic in response to the availability of its food sources.

Feeding

The Santa Marta parakeet feeds on a variety of fruits and seeds, with the fruit of ''Croton bogotanus'' providing a major part of its diet. It also feeds on flowers, leaves, and lichens. It forages in flocks of up to about 20 individuals. Its diet varies over time with the changing abundance of its food, and it appears to use a wider variety of resources when its preferred food is not available. This behavior is interpreted to indicate some ecological flexibility.

Breeding

In a completely natural setting, the Santa Marta parakeet nests only in dead wax palms ('' Ceroxylon ceriferum''); it also uses nest boxes placed in or near the forest. Most of the data on its breeding biology comes from monitoring nest boxes. The species has two breeding season peaks, between December and May and between June and October. The second season is thought to be a response to competition for nest cavities from larger parrot species. The clutch ranges from three to seven eggs with a mean of 4.5. The incubation period is 22 to 28 days and fledging occurs up to 45 days after hatch. The Santa Marta parakeet exhibits

cooperative breeding Cooperative breeding is a social system characterized by alloparental care: offspring receive care not only from their parents, but also from additional group members, often called helpers. Cooperative breeding encompasses a wide variety of group s ...

Vocalization

The Santa Marta parakeet "uses screeching calls during flight".

Status

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 ...

originally assessed the Santa Marta parakeet as Near Threatened, then in 1994 as Vulnerable, and since 2000 as Endangered. It has a limited range and its estimated population of between 1800 and 3200 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. About half of its original habitat has been lost to plantations of non-native trees such as pine and ''

Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of more than 700 species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae. Most species of ''Eucalyptus'' are trees, often Mallee (habit), mallees, and a few are shrubs. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalyp ...

'', and clearing for pasture continues. The species is hunted in some areas but that and the pet trade appear to be only minor influences on its decline. About 80% of the species' population appears to be in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park though some occur in two private preserves. The protection of habitat in the national park is not fully effective.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q958816 Santa Marta parakeet Birds of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Endemic birds of Colombia Santa Marta parakeet Parakeets Santa Marta parakeet Taxonomy articles created by Polbot