Caatinga parakeet facts for kids
The Caatinga parakeet (Eupsittula cactorum), also known as the cactus parakeet, is a small parrot found only in eastern Brazil. It's a type of parrot from the Americas.
Quick facts for kids Caatinga parakeet |
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Eupsittula
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cactorum
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Contents
Types of Caatinga Parakeets
The Caatinga parakeet has two main types, called subspecies. One is E. c. cactorum, named by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820. The other is E. c. caixana, named by Johann Baptist von Spix in 1824. These two types are very closely related to the brown-throated parakeet.
What Does the Caatinga Parakeet Look Like?
This parakeet is about 25 cm (10 inches) long. Males and females look the same.
Adult birds of the main type have a pale brown forehead, cheeks, throat, and chest. They have white skin around their eyes. Their belly is yellow-orange. The back of their neck, ear feathers, upper body, and tail are green. Their wings are mostly green with bluish feathers.
Young birds look similar to adults. However, they have a completely green head and their underparts are not as bright. The E. c. caixana type looks like the main type but is a lighter color overall.
Where Do Caatinga Parakeets Live?
The E. c. caixana type lives in the northern part of Brazil. You can find it from Maranhão east to the Atlantic Ocean and south to northwestern Bahia. The other type, E. c. cactorum, lives in east-central Brazil. It is found south of the São Francisco River in Bahia and Minas Gerais.
These parakeets live in caatinga, which is a dry land with thorny plants, bushes, and succulents (like cacti). They also live in cerrado (another type of grassland) and wetter forests.
How Do Caatinga Parakeets Behave?
Moving Around
The Caatinga parakeet does not migrate far. It probably moves around locally to find food.
What Do They Eat?
We don't know everything the Caatinga parakeet eats. However, we know it enjoys fruits from fig trees and cacti. It also eats flower buds. Sometimes, it feeds on farm crops like rice, maize, and sorghum.
How Do They Raise Their Young?
The breeding season for these parakeets is not fully clear. It seems to be between August and March. They usually dig their nests inside termite mounds found in trees.
We're not sure how many eggs they lay in the wild. But nests have been found with up to six eggs. In captivity, they usually lay six eggs. The eggs hatch in about 16 days, and the chicks fly out of the nest after about six weeks.
What Sounds Do They Make?
When flying, the Caatinga parakeet makes loud screeches like "scraart scraart." It also makes softer, shorter calls like "tchit tchit" and loud "cherr-chee."
Is the Caatinga Parakeet in Danger?
The IUCN (a group that checks how safe animals are) says the Caatinga parakeet is of "Least Concern." This means it is not currently in danger. It lives in a large area, and its population seems to be stable.
No big threats have been found for this bird. It is even the most common parrot in some parts of its home. However, the caatinga habitat where it lives is not well protected. Only a small part of it is in special reserves, and it is slowly being damaged.
