Dusky-headed Parakeet

Brown-headed Parakeet ( Aratinga weddellii )

The brown-headed Parakeet ( Aratinga weddellii ), also referred to as Weddellsittich, is a species of parrot from the Neotropical genus of macaws. It occurs along the tributaries of the Amazon in the southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and northeastern Brazil. The species is not endangered. The specific epithet of the scientific name honors the English botanist Hugh Algernon Weddell ( 1819-1877 ).

Features

The brown-headed Parakeet reaches a size of 28 cm, a wing length of 140 to 150 mm and a weight of 95-115 g The plumage is predominantly green. The upper breast is olive green, the lower abdomen greenish yellow. The head is gray-brown, each feather has a dull blue lacing. The first primary feather is black with a blue hem, the other green with a bluish rim at the ends of the outer webs. The tail top is blue with a greenish base, the underside is black. The protruding, featherless eye-ring is white. The beak is black, the cere reddish gray. The iris is bright yellow. The legs and feet are gray. The immature birds ( young birds before the first moult ) have a generally duller plumage. The head is grayish, the iris is brown in them and the white eye-ring is narrower.

Habitat

The brown-headed parakeet inhabited rain forests along rivers, marshes, forest plots in moist savannas, secondary forests and deforested areas with sporadic woodland at altitudes up to 750 m. Occasionally, he is seen along forest edges or coffee plantations.

Way of life

The brown-headed parakeet lives in pairs or outside the breeding season in groups of three to eight birds. Occasionally it forms flocks of 75 to 100 individuals if enough food is available. His walks preferably extend along the river banks, where his sleeping trees stand. He flies rarely above the dense forest. To feed, it is silent and unobtrusive. His reputation, which is reminiscent of that of the Pavuasittichs, but finer and sharper sounds, you can hear just as he flies.

Food

The food of brown-headed parakeet consists of seeds, fruits, flowers and berries. He also studied rotten trees for insects and their larvae. He often flies to places in the rainforest or on the river banks, where the soil contains minerals.

Reproduction

In Bolivia and Colombia is the breeding season from July, otherwise February to May A special courtship behavior have Dusky headed Parakeet not, you recognize the breeding mood at the Frequent stay in the breeding cave. Dusky headed Parakeet nest in dead trees, palm trees or arboreal termite nests at heights 4-15 m. He often lays its eggs, which measure 27.0 × 23.0 mm, in abandoned woodpecker heights. The young birds are reared by both parent birds. In captivity, a pair raise up to three broods a year.

Attitude

The brown-headed Parakeet is relatively rarely held, probably in 1976 was first introduced to Germany and bred in the same year for the first time in Euskirchen. How many parrots nesting in caves also have Dusky headed Parakeet a strong chewer.