The vulturine parrot (''Pyrilia vulturina''), not to be confused with

Pesquet's parrot Pesquet's parrot (''Psittrichas fulgidus''), also known as the Dracula parrot or as the vulturine parrot (leading to easy confusion with '' Pyrilia vulturina'' from Brazil), is the only member of its genus. It is endemic to hill and montane rai ...

(''Psittrichas fulgidus''), is a

Neotropical parrot The neotropical parrots or New World parrots comprise about 150 species in 32 genera found throughout South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and (formerly) the southern United States. Among them are some of the most familiar an ...

, which is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to humid forest and adjacent habitats in the eastern

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Taxonomy

Until recently, it was placed in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' Pionopsitta'', which now is restricted to the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

, ''P. pileata''. Furthermore, individuals previously believed to be

immature Mature is the adjectival form of maturity, as immature is the adjectival form of immaturity, which have several meanings. Mature or immature may also refer to: * Mature, a character from ''The King of Fighters'' series *"Mature 17+", a rating in ...

vulturine parrots were described as a new species, the

bald parrot The bald parrot (''Pyrilia aurantiocephala'') or orange-headed parrot is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to the east-central Amazon of Brazil. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is considered n ...

(''Pyrilia aurantiocephala''), in 2002.

Description

The vulturine parrot has a total length of c. . It has a rather short, squarish tail, and a mainly green

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

, which typically is tinged blue, especially below. The chest is olive-brown. The underwing

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are s ...

are bright red, and when perched this can be hinted as an orange-red shoulder-patch. The under-tail is yellowish with a bluish tip (appears dark against light). The outer webs and tips of the

remiges Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...

are bluish-black, making the outer sections of the upperwing appear quite uniformly dark in flight. The arguably most conspicuous feature, however, is its un-feathered blackish and orange-pinkish head, bordered by a broad yellow collar of feathers, followed by a second blackish collar. This bare, vaguely

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

-like head is the reason behind its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

. Juveniles have a feathered greenish head. Little is known about its behavior, but it is suspected the bare head is an

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

to avoid feather-matting from sticky

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s. It has also been recorded feeding on

seeds A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm pl ...

and

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

Conservation

Its population is believed to be decreasing, with a unknown number left in the wild. The main threats to the vulturine parrot are deforestation in the Amazon and hunting.

References

Bibliography

* Collar, N.J. (1997). Vulturine Parrot (Pionopsitta vulturina). pp. 457 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. eds (1997). ''Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. . * Gaban-Lima, R., M. Raposo, and E. Höfling (2002). ''Description of a New Species of Pionopsitta (Aves: Psittacidae) Endemic to Brazil.'' Auk 119(3): 815–819. * Juniper, T., and M. Parr (1998). ''A Guide to the Parrots of the World.'' Pica Press, East Sussex. . * Ribas, C., R. Gaban-Lima, C. Miyaki, and J. Cracraft (2005). ''Historical biogeography and diversification within the Neotropical parrot genus Pionopsitta (Aves: Psittacidae).'' Journal Biogeography 32:1409-1427.

vulturine parrot The vulturine parrot (''Pyrilia vulturina''), not to be confused with Pesquet's parrot (''Psittrichas fulgidus''), is a Neotropical parrot, which is endemic to humid forest and adjacent habitats in the eastern Amazon of Brazil. Taxonomy Until re ...

Birds of the Brazilian Amazon Endemic birds of Brazil

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