Pyrrhura cruentata (Wied-Neuwied, 1820)

Plumage Base and Red Patches

This colourful parakeet, Pyrrhura cruentata, is a mostly green bird with prominent red patches on its belly, rump, shoulder, and the areas before, below, and behind the eye.

Crown and Nape Coloration

Its crown is dark brown to blackish, turning mottled on the nape of the neck.

Chest and Neck Plumage

A broad, bright blue bib covers its chest, and this blue colour extends thinly around the back of the neck to form a faint collar.

Wing and Tail Plumage

The outer primary feathers are blue, the upper side of the tail is olive-green, and the underside is brownish red.

Primary Forest Habitat

This species lives in the canopy of lowland humid forest and forest edges, and occasionally occurs at elevations up to 960 meters.

Modified Forest Habitat

It has also been recorded in small clearings and selectively logged forest.

Agricultural Habitat Use

It can persist, or at least persisted historically, in agricultural areas where many forest trees are retained, such as shade cocoa plantations.

Natural Diet

It feeds on the seeds and fruit of secondary growth trees including Trema micrantha and Cecropia.

Crop Consumption Status

Feeding on agricultural crops has not been observed in wild populations.

Breeding Period

Breeding apparently takes place during the austral spring.

Clutch and Nest Site

Females lay 2–4 eggs in a tree cavity.

Historical Distribution

Historically, Pyrrhura cruentata was common across most of southeast Bahia, Espírito Santo, eastern Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Current Distribution Status

Today, its distribution is highly fragmented, and it is now mostly restricted to isolated protected reserves.

Largest Population Locations

Its largest populations are found in Sooretama Biological Reserve and the adjacent Linhares Forest Reserve in Espírito Santo.

Bahia Population Site Status

The species remains common at Estação Vera Cruz, formerly known as the Porto Seguro Reserve, in Bahia.

Varied Regional Population Abundance

It can be relatively common in other remaining areas, but population numbers appear low in the large Chapada da Diamantina and Monte Pascoal National Parks in Bahia.