Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet (Touit purpurata)

Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet

[order] PSITTACIFORMES | [family] Psittacidae | [latin] Touit purpurata | [authority] Gmelin, 1788 | [UK] Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet | [FR] Toui a queue pourpee | [DE] Purpurschwanz-Papagei | [ES] Cotorrita Purpurada | [NL] Paarsstaartpapegaai

Subspecies

Monotypic species

Genus

Genus Touit or parrotlets are small, stocky birds with short, square tails. The tail feathers are broad and have slightly pointed tips. The bill is proportionately large, though rather narrow. This genus is distinguished chiefly by the long upper and under tail-coverts, which reach to the tip of the tail. Parrotlets of the genus Touit are found in Central and South America and seem generally to occur at very low densities, and their inconspicuous habits make it even harder to find.

Physical charateristics

General plumage green; lower breast and abdomen yellowish-green, more yellowish to sides of body; forehead, crown, back of head and ear-coverts olive-brownish becoming green on nape. Lower back violet-blue; shoulders dark brown; edge of wing violet-blue; flight feathers green with black tips; underside of flight-feathers bluish-green. Middle tail-feathers green with black tips; outer tail-feathers violet-red with black tips. Periophthalmic ring grey; iris brown; feet grey; bill yellowish-horn colour with grey tips.

Female as male, but with pale brown shoulders; outer tail-feathers with green band above black tips. Immatures as female, but with duller plumage; lower back olive-brown with few or no violet blue feathers.

Listen to the sound of Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet

[audio:http://www.planetofbirds.com/MASTER/PSITTACIFORMES/Psittacidae/sounds/Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto


wingspan min.: 0 cm wingspan max.: 0 cm
size min.: 17 cm size max.: 18 cm
incubation min.: 0 days incubation max.: 0 days
fledging min.: 0 days fledging max.: 0 days
broods: 0   eggs min.: 3  
      eggs max.: 5  

Range

South America : Amazonia

Habitat

Rain forest, partially deforested areas and open woodland as well as tall secondary vegetation to 1.200 meter. Occasionally in the savannah and coastal forest in Surinam.

Reproduction

Breeding period probably from March; nests in dead trees or arboreal termite mounds; clutch 3 to 5 eggs; no further information available.

Feeding habits

Diet consists of fruits (figs), seeds, berries and buds

Conservation

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be stable, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size has not been quantified, but it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Ranges from southern Venezuela in southeast Bolivar and eastern Amazonas, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, northern Brazil in northern Maranhao west to lower Rio Negro in northwest of state of Amazonas.
Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet status Least Concern

Migration

Unknown

Distribution map

Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet distribution range map

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