Santa Marta parakeet

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The Santa Marta parakeet (Pyrrhura viridicata) is an endangered bird found only in Colombia, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in the north. It is about 23 to 25 cm long. Males and females look alike.

Adults have a mostly green head with a red forehead and brownish ear coverts. Their back is green, and their chest has a bright scarlet belt. The rest of the underside is green. The wings are green with yellow to orange upperwing coverts and blue primary feathers. The tail is reddish. Young birds look similar but lack the red belt.

It lives in humid montane forests at elevations from 2,000 to 3,500 meters. It usually stays on the northern slopes and does not migrate, though it moves a bit to find food. It eats fruits and seeds—especially the fruit of Croton bogotanus—as well as flowers, leaves, and lichens. They can forage in flocks of up to about 20 birds.

Nesting mostly occurs in dead wax palms, and it also uses nest boxes. Two breeding peaks: December to May and June to October. Clutch size is 3 to 7 eggs, average 4.5. Incubation is 22 to 28 days; fledging can take up to 45 days. The species shows cooperative breeding, with helpers at the nest.

The IUCN lists it as Endangered. The population is estimated at 1,800 to 3,200 mature birds and is decreasing. The range is limited, and about 80% of the birds live in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Natural Park, though habitat protection there is not fully effective. Major threats include habitat loss from plantations of non-native trees like pine and eucalyptus and clearing for pasture. Hunting and the pet trade are less important threats.