Blue-bellied parrot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue-bellied parrot |
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| male right, female left | |
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Triclaria
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| Species: |
malachitacea
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The blue-bellied parrot (also called the purple-bellied parrot) is a special bird. Its scientific name is Triclaria malachitacea. It's the only type of parrot in its group, which makes it quite unique! This beautiful parrot mostly lives in the wet Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. There have been a couple of possible sightings in Misiones, Argentina, too. You can find these parrots living in areas up to 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet) high.
Contents
What Does the Blue-bellied Parrot Look Like?
This parrot has a fairly long tail and grows to be about 28 centimeters (11 inches) long. Most of its body is green, and it has a whitish beak. What makes it stand out is its belly! Only the male parrots have a bluish-purple patch on their belly, which is how the parrot got its name.
How Do Blue-bellied Parrots Communicate?
Blue-bellied parrots make a whistling sound. Sometimes, a pair of parrots will even sing together in a duet! However, they are usually quite quiet. This means they can be hard to spot in the forest, even if they are nearby.
What Do Blue-bellied Parrots Eat and Where Do They Nest?
These parrots enjoy a varied diet. They have been seen eating different kinds of seeds, fruits, and flower buds. They also like nectar from flowers and even some insects.
When it's time to build a home, blue-bellied parrots choose a cozy spot. Their nests are usually found inside a hollow part of a large tree or a palm tree. They typically nest between September and January. If they live in Rio Grande do Sul, they might start nesting in October. During the time they are raising their young, a pair of parrots will protect their nesting area very strongly.
Protecting the Blue-bellied Parrot
Sadly, a lot of the original forest cover where these parrots live has been cut down. This land is often used for growing crops like tobacco and bananas. Now, blue-bellied parrots mostly live in small pieces of forest left on slopes and ridges. These remaining forests are much smaller than their original home.
How Many Blue-bellied Parrots Are Left?
People used to think there were only about 5,000 to 10,000 of these parrots left. But newer information suggests that around 10,000 parrots live just in the state of Rio Grande do Sul! There are also many parrots in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, but we don't have exact numbers for those areas yet.
Even with these numbers, the total number of blue-bellied parrots is still going down. This is because their habitat continues to change.
Other Threats and Conservation Efforts
Catching these parrots to sell as pets is not a huge problem right now. Only a small number are caught for local markets. However, some parrots were sent to the Netherlands in the 1970s and 1980s.
The good news is that blue-bellied parrots live in 14 different protected areas. These special places help keep their forest homes safe.
