Wild Side

El Residente 36 Wild Side

by Ryan Piercy

Parrotlets

Most everyone is familiar with the beauty of large parrots, especially the great Macaws; however even the smallest of the species displays a beauty as great as their bigger cousins. These are the parrotlets, smallest of the New World species of parrots. They have stocky builds and short tails, but many of the same brilliant colors for which their larger cousins are known. Parrotlets consist of nineteen types within three genera, but only one of the species is found locally. Specifically endemic to Costa Rica and parts of Panama is the Touit costaricensis, the red-fronted parrotlet. The birds are small, about 15cm tall, usually found in the cooler forests around 500 to 1,000 meters of elevation, during the wet season, and up to 3,000 meters when the climate is dryer. Their typical range is in the Talamanca and the Cordillera Central mountain ranges through Costa Rica and into Panama. These beautiful animals are a bright green with a red forehead and shoulders, and sometimes also under the eyes. Some will also boast a splash of yellow underneath. Often they are found in small family groups, up to six specimens. It is probable that parrotlets mate during the dry season and will lay but two or three eggs. They appear to eat mainly the small fruits of trees and bushes, usually feeding in pairs or in small groups as they forage in areas of alimentation.

Like so many other parrot species, this small flyer, often weighing no more than 80 grams, is under constant threat of extinction. Fortunately they are protected by law in Costa Rica, but unfortunately, continuing deforestation keeps them at risk. At times these brilliantly colored little birds can even be seen as far as down on the coast as Limón, so if you are in the area, keep your eyes peeled in case you are fortunate enough to encounter a few.

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