Orange-cheeked Parrot
Also known as:
Barraband's Parrot
Also known as:
Barraband's Parrot
DID YOU KNOW?
The Orange-cheeked Parrot regularly visits clay banks (or licks) to consume the antacid-like soil which neutralizes toxins found in some of the foods they eat.
Size:
25 cm (9.75 in)
Weight:
165-190 g (5.8-6.7 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
two: P.b. barrabandi, P.b. aurantiigena
Colour Adult:
P.b. barrabandi: Both adults black head; orange/yellow cheeks; olive throat and breast; yellow thighs; orange/yellow bend of wing and lesser wing coverts; orange/red carpal edge and underwing coverts. Beak grey/black. Eye ring bare and white. Eye brown.
P.b. aurantiigena: Both adults deep orange cheeks, bend of wing, lesser wing coverts and thighs, with no yellow.
Colour Juvenile:
P.b. barrabandi: Brown crown; olive forehead, nape, cheeks and chin, with brown margin; green bend of wing and lesser wing coverts, with scattered yellow feathers; red carpal edge and underwing coverts with scattered green feathers.
Call:
Calls are reported as distinctive; in flight calls reedy and slurred. Alarm calls gutteral.
More Information:
Content Sources:
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006. 2010 edition
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Captive Status:
Probably not kept outside Brazil.
Longevity:
—
Housing:
Enclosure or aviary at least 3 x 2 x 2 m (9.8 x 6.5 x 6.5 ft), minimum temperature 20 C (68 F).
Diet:
Fruit such as: apple, pear, oranges, in particular exotic fruits such as mango and papaya; vegetables such as: carrot, celery, peas in the pod if taken; lory or baby (lactose-free) food; seed mix such as: millet, canary, safflower, oats, a little hemp, limited sunflower seed; vitamin supplements, in particular, C.
Enrichment:
Provide bathing bowls or mist regularly; provide non-toxic, unsprayed flowering branches for chewing.
Nest Box Size:
Vertical box 10″ x 10″ x 24″ (25.4 cm x 25.4 cm x 61 cm).
Clutch Size:
Not recorded.
Fledging Age:
—
Hatch Weight:
—
Peak Weight:
—
Weaning Weight:
—
World Population:
Unknown, decreasing.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened. Generally uncommon and local, but occasionally frequent to numerous in western parts of its range. The species may be vulnerable to hunting and persecution. Tree cover loss within the range was 3% over the past thirteen years but has been increasing to a rate equivalent to 5% over three generations since 2016. Trapping pressure is considered minimal.
Range:
P.b. barrabandi: North of upper Amazon River from E Amazonas, N Brazil and S Venezuela to SE Colombia, E Ecuador and NE Peru.
P.b. aurantiigena: South of upper Amazon River from N Brazil to E Peru and N Bolivia.
Habitat:
Found up to 400 m (1312 ft) in lowland terra firme forest, also less often in varzea stands. Also found at forest edge and in partly disturbed forest.
Wild Diet:
Diet includes seeds and fruits of Ficus, Pourouma and Pseudolmedia; two leguminous plants Mimosa and Pithecellobium, and one Olacaceae Heisteria. Also takes Ficus sphenophylla and another with larger fruit. Has been seen biting leaf galls on Pithecellobium trees, likely for wasp larvae. Recorded foraging for flowers.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Active early morning. Seen singly, in pairs and in small groups up to 10 and more at clay banks. Forages high in canopy or just below.
Clutch and Egg Size:
Not recorded.
Breeding Season:
Possibly September-October.
Related Links:
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