Red-faced parrot
The red-faced parrot (Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops) is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru.
| Red-faced parrot | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittacidae |
| Genus: | Hapalopsittaca |
| Species: | H. pyrrhops |
| Binomial name | |
| Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops (Salvin, 1876) | |
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The red-faced parrot is rapidly decreasing and the species is now considered an endangered species. It is endemic to Ecuador and northern Peru, and specifically found in mild forests of provinces of Azuay, Loja and Morona-Santiago and the Piura department in Peru (Toyne et al.). They are also found in other areas in Southern Ecuador such as Chilla and El Sauce, but Selva Alegre seems to have the most red-faced parrots. This parrot is known to have vocalizations to find other flocks of birds.
This species of parrot is going extinct due to loss of habitat. It is said that the risk of extinction in Venezuela is higher because they contain a smaller population of the specific bird (Rodríguez, Suarez, Sharpe). Studies in southern Ecuador by Mark Jacobs and Jon Walker show that the red-faced parrot mostly inhabits the cloud forests of Selva Alegre (Jacobs & Walker). The destruction of these cloud forests for grazing and agriculture is the main cause for the endangering of the red-faced parrot. The population of the red-faced parrot in Selva Alegre estimates from a minimum of 169 to a maximum of 734 (Jacobs & Walker). Due to the smaller population of these birds, there are less individuals to mate, making the birth rate much lower than the death rate, causing the species to be more at risk to go extinct.
The red-faced parrots are a low priority on the endangered animals list (Rodríguez, Suarez, Sharpe).
References
- BirdLife International (2012). "Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
^ BirdLife International (2012). "Hapalopsittaca pyrrhops". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
Toyne, Elliot P. Vocalizations of the Endangered Red-Faced Parrot Hapalopsittaca Pyrrhops in Southern Ecuador. Diss. Imperial College, London, 1995. EbscoHost. Web.
Rodriguez, JP; Rojas-Suarez, F; Sharpe, CJ. "Setting Priorities For The Conservation Of Venezuela's Threatened Birds." Oryx 38.4 (n.d.): 373–382. Thomson Scientific: ISI Web of Knowledge—Web of Science.
Jacobs, MD; Walker, JS. "Density Estimates Of Birds Inhabiting Fragments Of Cloud Forest In Southern Ecuador." Bird Conservation International 9.1 (n.d.): 73–79. Thomson Scientific: ISI Web of Knowledge—Web of Science.