Aratinga acuticaudata (Vieillot, 1818)

Taxonomy and Size

The blue-crowned parakeet, scientifically named Aratinga acuticaudata (Vieillot, 1818), is a medium-sized bird. It measures approximately 37 cm (14.5 in) in length and weighs between 140 and 190 g (4.9 and 6.7 oz).

Head Coloration

Hatchlings have red coloring around the head, and adult blue-crowned parakeets are predominantly green. The nominate subspecies has dull blue coloring on the forehead, crown, cheeks, and ears, while other subspecies have less blue in these areas.

Ocular Ring Features

This species has a ring of white featherless skin around each eye; this ring is bright orange-yellow in wild T. acuticaudata neumanni.

Breast Coloration

Breast feathers may have a blue tinge, but are more often green to yellow-green.

Wing Coloration

Closed wings match the body's color, while extended wings are blue-brown, turning chestnut on the outer flight feathers.

Tail Features

The top side of the tail feathers is green, and the underside is maroon to red-brown, which iridesces to bright orange and scarlet under full-spectrum light.

Leg and Claw Coloration

Legs are pink-brown, with grey-brown claws.

Upper Mandible Features

The upper mandible is horn-colored, tapering to a sharp, needle-like grey-black tip.

Subspecific Lower Mandible Variation

For the southern and western nominate subspecies and subspecies neumanni, the lower mandible is horn-colored in juveniles, and fades to grey-black by the bird's second year. All other eastern, central, and northern subspecies keep a horn-colored lower mandible their entire adulthood.