Justification This species is currently known from a single area, but other parts of its very small range have not been surveyed recently. Both its range and population are probably declining as a result of habitat loss. It therefore qualifies as Endangered.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author Todd, 1913

Taxonomic source(s) SACC (2005 + updates), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Stotz et al. (1996)

Identification 25 cm. Overall green parakeet with red frontal band, white orbital ring, maroon ear-coverts, red band on belly, red-orange carpal and primary coverts, blue primaries and red underside of tail. Similar spp. Red-fronted Parakeet Aratinga wagleri is larger, has more red on forecrown, all-green tail and different coloration on wings and belly. Voice Screeching descending flight calls. Soft chatterings from feeding birds.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

5,000 - 10,000

decreasing

460 km²

Yes

Range & population Pyrrhura viridicata occurs only in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Flocks of 5-30 birds are regularly observed (daily or every few days^2,10,13) on the relatively well-watched San Lorenzo ridge, apart from which it is known only from birds collected at Taquina in 1914 and a population at on west flank of the Río Frío which was located in 2001. The area of land on the north slope of the massif within its altitudinal range is less than 600 km², within which as little as 200 km² of primary forest may remain¹. Until recently it was judged to be fairly common^5,9, but it has surely become less abundant. The total population is estimated to no more than 4,000-4,500 individuals, based on estimates of 120 birds at San Lorenzo and using forest cover estimates from satellite images to calculate remaining suitable habitat.¹⁵

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It inhabits montane humid forest and borders, and has been observed flying over adjacent clearings^5,9 and increasingly visiting blackberry plantations¹⁵. It apparently undertakes some seasonal movements within an altitudinal range of 1,800-2,800 m ^1,13. Nesting has been recorded in June in a cavity 6 m up a dead tree, and locals report nesting in dead palm trunks in April and May¹⁵. A recent study identified two breeding seasons: January to March and May to June¹⁶ Both juveniles and breeding-condition adults have been collected in September⁵. Its feeding ecology is not well known but it has been recorded taking fruits of epiphytic plants, and flowers and seeds of Cordiaceae and six other tree species¹⁵.

Threats Only 15% of the original vegetation in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta remains, albeit largely on the north slope where this species occurs⁸. The main threat is the conversion of forest to marijuana and coca plantations^4,7,8, which was compounded by the government spraying herbicides on the sierra^7,8. It is not known whether this approach is still taken by the Colombian authorities⁸. Threats that followed human immigration to the area from the 1950s onwards are agricultural expansion (e.g. livestock), logging, burning and afforestation with exotic trees (e.g. pines)^3,11,12,13. It is hunted for food in the Río Frío valley, and in San Pedro district individuals in blackberry plantations have been shot¹⁵. The species has not been found in the local bird trade¹⁵.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is protected by two national designations and is an international Biosphere Reserve⁶, but this has not conserved the massif's ecosystems effectively. All known sites for the species lie within Indian reservations where indigenous people have management rights and it is not possible to control management or hunting¹⁵. In 2006 1,600 acres of northwest Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta were protected through the American Bird Conservancy, Fundación ProAves and Conservation International and renamed as El Dorado Nature Reserve¹⁴.

Conservation measures proposed Estimate current population levels and the area of remaining suitable habitat¹³. Study its habitat tolerance and population densities in different forest-types^12,13. Research its ecology, movements and conservation status¹³. Work with local communities and regional institutions to identify and prioritise conservation and management strategies¹². Establish education programmes working with local communities to combat hunting and persecution¹⁵.

References 1. T. Arndt in litt. (1993). 2. P. Boesman in litt. (1998). 3. Dinerstein et al. (1995). 4. J. Fjeldså verbally (2000). 5. Hilty and Brown (1986). 6. IUCN (1992). 7. L. G. Olarte in litt. (1993). 8. L. M. Renjifo pers. comm. (1993, 2000). 9. Ridgely (1981a). 10. Salaman and Giles (1995). 11. P. G. W. Salaman in litt. (1999). 12. Salazar and Strewe (undated). 13. Snyder et al. (2000). 14. Anon (2006). 15. Strewe (2005). 16. Anon (2005).

Further web sources of information

Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) species/site profile. This species has been identified as an AZE trigger due to its IUCN Red List status and limited range.

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), David Capper (BirdLife International), Isabel Isherwood (BirdLife International), Tom Stuart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Contributors T. Arndt, Peter Boesman, Luis Germán Olarte (SAO), Paul G. W. Salaman (Fundación ProAves)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Andy Symes (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Pyrrhura viridicata. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums