Pyrrhura viridicata
The Santa Marta Parakeet (Pyrrhura viridicata) is a strikingly beautiful and highly range-restricted parrot, endemic to the isolated Santa Marta Mountains of northern Colombia. Measuring approximately 22-24 cm (8.7-9.4 inches) in length and weighing around 70-80 grams, its plumage is predominantly bright emerald green. Key field marks include conspicuous red shoulder patches, blue primary feathers visible in flight, and a distinguishing brown-scaled pattern on its throat and chest, which tran...
This parakeet exclusively inhabits humid montane and cloud forests, as well as forest edges and stunted elfin forest, at elevations typically ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 meters above sea level.
The diet primarily consists of various fruits, seeds, flowers, and nectar obtained from the montane forest canopy and sub-canopy, occasionally supplemented by insect larvae.
Santa Marta Parakeets are highly social and diurnal, typically observed in small, noisy flocks of 5 to 15 individuals, though larger aggregations can form at rich food sources or communal roosts. Their foraging strategy involves agile acrobatics through the forest canopy and sub-canopy, using the...
The Santa Marta Parakeet is strictly endemic to the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range in northern Colombia. Its distribution is confined to humid montane and cloud forests across three departments: Magdalena, La Guajira, and Cesar. The species is a year-round resident, exhibiti...
Critically Endangered
- The Santa Marta Parakeet is found only in a single isolated mountain range in the world, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. - It is classified as Critically Endangered, making it one of the most imperiled parrot species on Earth. - Despite its vibrant green plumage, it is remarkably ...