:''The

yellow-fronted parrot The yellow-fronted parrot (''Poicephalus flavifrons'') is a parrot endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands. It is a mostly green with a yellow head. Relatively little is known about this bird. Taxonomy German naturalist Eduard Rüppell first descr ...

(Poicephalus flavifrons) from Africa is occasionally called "yellow-faced parrot".'' The yellow-faced parrot (''Alipiopsitta xanthops''), formerly also known as the yellow-faced amazon, is the only species of the genus ''Alipiopsitta''. It is a Neotropical parrot (tribe Arini), and was classified in the genus '' Amazona'' for many years. It is a predominantly green and yellow-plumaged bird with a yellow head. It is a semi-nomadic species found in the cerrado region of Brazil and adjacent

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

. As the yellow-faced parrot has disappeared from parts of its former range due to habitat destruction and generally occurs in low densities, it was considered vulnerable by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

, but it remains locally fairly common, occurs in several protected areas and can survive in fragmented habitats, leading to its downlisting to near-threatened.

Taxonomy

The German naturalist

Johann Baptist von Spix Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix (9 February 1781 – 13 March 1826) was a German natural history, biologist. From his expedition to Brazil, he brought to Germany a large variety of specimens of plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. ...

first described the species in 1824 as ''Psittacus xanthops''. Its species name is derived from the Ancient Greek ''xanthos'' "yellow", and ''ops'' "face". For many years, it was placed within the genus '' Amazona'', although Alípio de Miranda Ribeiro proposed the new genus ''Salvatoria'' in 1920 due to differences in the bill and plumage. A 1995 study showed its distinctness genetically, followed up by more data which showed it to be much more closely related to the

short-tailed parrot The short-tailed parrot (''Graydidascalus brachyurus'') is the only species of the genus ''Graydidascalus''. It is found along both banks of the Amazon river and other major Amazonian rivers in Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. As sug ...

(''Graydidascalus brachyurus'') and to the members of the genus ''

Pionus ''Pionus'' is a genus of medium-sized parrots native to Mexico, and Central and South America. Characteristic of the genus are the chunky body, bare eye ring (which can vary in color), and short square tail. They are superficially similar to Amaz ...

''.Russello, M.A. & Amato, G (2004) A molecular phylogeny of Amazona: implications for Neotropical parrot biogeography, taxonomy, and conservation. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 30: 421-437. Following this discovery, it was briefly placed in the genus ''Salvatoria'' again, until this name was found to be pre-occupied by a group of

polychaete worms Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are m ...

from the superfamily Nereidoidea, thus leading to the transferral of the yellow-faced parrot to the new genus ''Alipiopsitta''.Caparroz, R., & Pacheco, J.F. (2006). ''A homonymy in Psittacidae: new name for Salvatoria Miranda-Ribeiro.'' Rev. Brasileira de Ornitologia 14: 174–175.

Description

Measuring about 27 cm (11 in) in length, the yellow-faced parrot has a stocky body and short tail.BirdLife International (2010)
Species factsheet: Alipiopsitta xanthops.
' Accessed 6 December 2010. It is a predominantly green and yellow-plumaged bird that in adults has a yellow crown, lores, cheeks and auriculars. The rest of the head, upperparts and chest are green with some yellowish-green scalloping. The sides of the belly are often mottled orange and yellow, and the belly is often yellow. However, there are significant variations in the amount of yellow to the underparts, and some show virtually none.van Perlo, B. (2009). ''A Field Guide to the Birds of Brazil.'' Oxford University Press. The wings are predominantly green, occasionally with some yellow spots. There is blue edging on the primary

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 sm ...

. The central feathers of the short tail are green, while the lateral ones are more yellow-green and have orange-red bases. The bill is yellowish-horn with a dark culmen, the cere is pinkish, and the iris is yellow. The legs are light grey. There is no sexual dimorphism; the male and female are alike in plumage and size. Immatures have less yellow to the head.

Distribution and habitat

The majority of its range is in central and eastern Brazil, where found from Maranhão and

Piauí Piaui (, ) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the country's Northeast Region. The state has 1.6% of the Brazilian population and produces 0.7% of the Brazilian GDP. Piaui has the shortest coastline of any coastal Brazilian state at 66&n ...

to São Paulo and

Mato Grosso do Sul Mato Grosso do Sul () is one of the Midwestern states of Brazil. Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and ...

. It inhabits the cerrado on the plateau of Brazil, as well as the dryer Caatinga scrubland. There are two records from Beni in northeastern Bolivia. Despite occasionally being listed for Paraguay, evidence supporting its presence in this country is lacking. Within its range it appears to be semi-nomadic. Much of its habitat is being converted to agricultural land and the populations are declining.

Behaviour

The yellow-faced parrot forages for and eats the fruit and seeds of trees including '' Anacardium'' species, ''

Salacia crassifolia In ancient Roman mythology, Salacia ( , ) was the female divinity of the sea, worshipped as the goddess of salt water who presided over the depths of the ocean. Neptune was her consort. That Salacia was the consort of Neptune is implied by Varr ...

'' and '' Astronium fraxinifolium''. Flocks have also been recorded raiding crops of

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

and unripe

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...

trees. Termites are another diet item. Until recently, comparatively little was known of its habits. It has been studied in

Emas National Park The Emas National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional das Emas, literally meaning " Rhea National Park") is a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the states of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil. Description The National Park is locat ...

in Brazil. Its breeding season there is May to October. Nests are hollows in termite mounds. The eggs are incubated for 19–22 days, while the young take up to 45 days to leave the nest. Like most species of parrots, the yellow-faced parrot is protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES) with its placement on the

Appendix II CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

list.

References

*Hoppe, D., 2007: Ribeiropapagei – ein neuer Name für die Gelbbauchamazone. Gefiederte Welt, Vol. 131, pp. 173–176 + 210–213. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1269610

yellow-faced parrot :''The yellow-fronted parrot (Poicephalus flavifrons) from Africa is occasionally called "yellow-faced parrot".'' The yellow-faced parrot (''Alipiopsitta xanthops''), formerly also known as the yellow-faced amazon, is the only species of the genu ...

Birds of the Cerrado Birds of Bolivia Birds of Brazil

Near threatened animals Near threatened biota of South America