Blue-winged Parrotlet

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Blue-winged Parrotlet

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Forpus
Species: F. xanthopterygius
Binomial name
Forpus xanthopterygius
(Taczanowski, 1883)

The Blue-winged Parrotlet, Forpus xanthopterygius, is a small parrot found in much of South America. It is a short (12 cm) stocky mainly green bird with a short tapered tail. Sexually dimorphic, the males have blue on the upper and underwing coverts and rump and possibly on secondaries. The face, ear coverts, thighs and vent area are a brighter emerald green. It occurs in four disjoint ranges (assuming F. x. olallae doesn't overlap F. x. crassirostris, which it might). It is a difficult bird to identify. Females lack the identifying blue coloration, there are similar species, the subspecies vary, it has naturally occurring blue and yellow mutations, and it's not even clear what to call it.

This is a rare case in which the common name has been more stable and useful than the binomial. The sample from which F. xanthopterygius was originally named (type specimen) turned out to be a different species (a juvenile Canary-winged parakeet - Hellmayr, 1945). When this was discovered, the Blue-winged Parrotlet was renamed F. crassirostris (Taczanowski 1945). But that same year it was written up - wrongly - as F. xanthopterygius crassirostris and it reverted to F. xanthopterygius again. In 1978 Olivério Pinto mentioned the mistake in Novo catálogo das aves do Brasil and the name was changed to F. crassirostris - until 1999, when it was changed back to F. xanthopterygius. To increase the confusion, the name of the nominate race also changed: F. x. xanthopterygius is the same subspecies as F. c. vividus'.

By whatever name, for a while it was considered conspecific with F. passerinus, the Green-rumped Parrotlet, then split out again. It is also possible that the subspecies F. c. spengeli is better classified as a Mexican Parrotlet (F. cyanopygis) or even a species of its own.

There are six subspecies (differences are for adult males):

  • F. x. xanthopterygius (formerly F. c. vividus): N. Argentina, Paraguay, E. Brazil from Bahia south. Secondaries and coverts darker blue than other races.
  • F. x. flavissimus: E. Brazil from Bahia north. Front of face yellow.
  • F. x. olallae: North bank of Amazon river in Amazonas in central Brazil, by Codajaz (W. of Manaus). Lighter blue, primary coverts shading towards violet. Smaller.
  • F. x. crassirostris: NE Peru, E Ecuador, SE Colombia, NW Brazil. Like olalle, but underwing coverts darker, other blue lighter.
  • F. x. flavescens: Central-eastern Peru to E Boliva. Head and underparts a yellower green than nominate (though face not as yellow as flavissimus). Rump paler blue, undertail more bluish.
  • F. x. spengeli: N. Colombia. Blues paler than nominate, turquoise with some violet mixed into underwings.

It is found in mainly in the lowlands, but up to 1200m in SE Brazil, in drier woodland, scrub, savanna, and pastures. Flocks are usually around 20 birds but can grow to over 50 around fruiting trees or seeding grasses.

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