Orange-winged Amazon Parrot (Amazona amazonica)

The Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica), also known locally as Orange-winged Parrot, Curica and Loro Guaro, is a large amazon parrot. Its habitat is forest and semi-open country.  I took these photos in Nariva Swamp.

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They have a huge range from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago south to Peru, Bolivia and central Brazil.  I have seen them in the Pantanal, on Parrot Island near Belem and Nariva Swamp in Trinidad.

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I had to wade through a lot of pet bird videos to find these wild birds!

Scaly-naped Parrot (Amazona mercenarius)

The Scaly-naped Amazon or Scaly-naped Parrot (Amazona mercenarius) is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae.

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They have a huge range throughout the mountainous areas of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia.  You may get lucky as I did at WildsumacoEl Dorado and Rio Blanco.

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I really struggled to find anything on these charming parrots.  The first one is a slideshow.

I couldn’t find any live-action filmed in the wild so I have to use a clip of a captive bird to show him up close.

Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala)

The Yellow-crowned Amazon or Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala), is a species of parrot, native to the tropical South America and Panama.  Subspecies include xantholaema, nattereri and panamensis.

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Sorry they are a bit blurry, I was trying to focus on them as part of a large group at the Napo clay lick.  They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. I saw these guys at the large parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center.  Also try looking for them at clay licks near Tambopata & Manu in Peru.

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This wasn’t easy as there are hundreds of videos of these birds as pets but few in the wild.  This pair in swift flight is very typical of how quick you have to be to get a decent shot.

This is in an aviary but at least it’s a nice close-up!

 

 

 

Military Macaw (Ara militaris)

The Military Macaw (Ara militaris)  gets its name from its predominantly green plumage resembling a military parade uniform.  They are rare enough that if one is spotted, every birder will stand up and pay attention!  We were really lucky to see 4 flying by at Wildsumaco but my photos came out blurry so I have included the Wikipedia shots.

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They have quite a large range in in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.  Even within their range, this is not an easy bird to find so consider yourself very lucky if you do!  Many people (like me) see them at Wildsumaco in Ecuador and Minca in Colombia.

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This is a captive bird included here because of the excellent video quality.

This is a small flock in eastern Ecuador, not sure where but near a noisy river!

 

Cobalt-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris cyanoptera)

The Cobalt-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris cyanoptera) is a species of bird in the Psittacidae family.  Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.

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I took the 1st 2 shots at the small parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center.  The shot below is from Wikipedia since we didn’t get the full spectacle the day we were there.

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They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. A top spot to see them is the small parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center.  Also try looking for them at clay licks near Tambopata & Manu in Peru.

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The clay lick scene can be amazing if you get lucky!  By contrast, I only saw around 6-8 parakeets in the trees.

 

Here’s a digiscoped clip of a hungry parakeet.

 

 

 

 

Dusky-headed Parakeet (Aratinga weddellii)

The Dusky-headed Parakeet (Aratinga weddellii), also known as Weddell’s Conure or Dusky-headed Conure in aviculture, is a small green Neotropical parrot with dusty grey head found in wooded habitats in the western Amazon Basin of South America.

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They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. I saw these guys at the large parrot clay lick near Napo Wildlife Center.  Also try looking for them at clay licks near Tambopata & Manu in Peru.

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This hungry little guy is eating acai berries.

And here’s some clay lick action!

 

 

Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus)

The Black-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephalus ; sometimes incorrectly Pionites melanocephala), also known as the Black-headed Caique, Black-capped Parrot or Pallid Parrot (for P. m. pallidus), is one of the two species in the genus Pionites of the Psittacidae family; the other species being the allopatric White-bellied Parrot.

I was extremely lucky to see one in the wild in Ecuador at a distance.

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It is found in forest (especially, but not exclusively, humid) and nearby wooded habitats in the Amazon north of the Amazon River and west of the Ucayali River in Brazil, northern Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. It is generally fairly common and occurs in many protected areas throughout its range.  I saw this one at the Canopy Tower of Napo Wildlife Center and the guide said we were very lucky as they are hard to spot!  You could also try eco-lodges near Manaus and Iquitos.

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Such a cutie taking a bath in the grass!

Love is in the air with this nesting pair!

 

White-eyed Parakeet (Psittacara leucophthalma)

The White-eyed Parakeet or White-eyed Conure (Psittacara leucophthalma) is a small green Neotropical parrot native to South America.

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They have a huge range all over South America but you would be most likely to see them at any of the Amazon jungle lodges.  I personally saw them in the Amazonia National Park in Brazil and the clay lick at Napo Wildlife Center.

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A handsome bird getting ready for a date maybe?

And another one who “got lucky”!  Shhhhh…….bird porn!

 

Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus)

The Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus), also known as Guacamaya Manilata, is a medium-sized, mostly green South American parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are commonly called “mini-macaws”. The belly has a large maroon patch which gives the species its name.

Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilata)

Red-bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilata)

And since I couldn’t get a perched shot here’s one from Wikipedia.

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They have quite a large range in in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela. I saw a pair flying overhead at Nariva Swamp while driving but by the time I pulled over, they were gone.  I’ve seen them in several places such as Cristalino and near Napo Wildlife Center.

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Preening to look their best!

 

Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa)

The Mealy Amazon or Mealy Parrot (Amazona farinosa) is among the largest parrot in the Amazona genus, the amazon parrots.

Although I have seen this bird in several places – Cristalino, Panama, Tambopata I don’t seem to have any decent photos so I have to rely on the Wikipedia shots.

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All I could get was distant flight shots.

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Mealy Parrots have a huge range throughout South America and prefer tropical rainforest environments.  Good places to see them are Cristalino, Tambopata, Napo, Panama’s Soberania (different subspecies) and other rainforest lodges.

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Noisy flock in Peru

On a clay lick