Red-masked Parakeet
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| Aratinga erythrogenys (Lesson, 1844) |
The Red-masked parakeet, Aratinga erythrogenys, is a medium-sized South American parrot from Ecuador and Peru. It is known in the pet trade as the Cherry-headed Conure. It has been the 10th most common neotropical parrot imported into the USA with over 26,000 parakeets checked in from 1981-1985. This bird was formerly more common in its limited range, and only fairly recently has been reclassified from a species of least concern to a species near threatened (1994).
Red-masked parakeets average about 33 cm (13 in) long, of which half is the tail. They are bright green with a mostly red head on which the elongated pale eye-ring is conspicuous; the nape is green. Also, the lesser and median underwing coverts are red, and there is some red on the neck, the thighs, and the leading edge of the wings.
Clutches average 3 to 4 eggs and incubation is 23 or 24 days. Nests are usually made in tree cavities. Juvenile birds fledge after 50 days with solid green plumage; their first red feathers appear around the age of 4 months. The call is two-syllabled, harsh and loud.
These birds are native to southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru, where they inhabit forest edges and partially cleared areas. Some are sold as cage birds; they are considered good talkers. Escaped cage birds are considered to be introduced in Spain. They are also found in Florida and California, and make up most of the feral population in San Francisco that was documented in the book The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill by Mark Bittner and the film of the same name by Judy Irving. Although these birds reproduce in the wild, the Red-masked Parakeet is not considered established in North America.
Breeding popultations of feral parakeets have been observed in San Diego County, Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley and San Francisco. [1] The birds have been observed feeding on the fruits of the cultivated tropical vegetation, and nesting in the ubiquitous palm trees.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Aratinga erythrogenys. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 06 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened
- David Sibley (2000). The Sibley Guide to Birds. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-45122-6.
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Vol 4, Josep del Hoyo editor, ISBN 84-87334-22-9
