Bonaparte’s Parakeet (Pyrrhura lucianii)

Identification & Behavior: ~22 cm (8.6 in). The Bonaparte’s Parakeet has an overall dusky head with a bluish cast on the forehead, bluish cheeks, and pale ears. The throat, breast, and sides of the neck are dusky with whitish scaling. The bill is black. The tail and central belly area are red. The wings are blue. It is similar to the Wavy-breasted Parakeet but is distinguished by having bluish cheeks, dusky with some bluish head, and small red area in the belly. The taxonomic status of the Bonaparte’s and Wavy-breasted Parakeets is still under discussion.

Status: The Bonaparte’s Parakeet is rare and poorly known in the two areas in Peru where this parakeet is known to occur. It also occurs in Co, Ec, and Br.

Name in Spanish: Perico de Bonaparte.

Sub-species: Bonaparte’s Parakeet (Pyrrhura lucianii), Deville, 1851.

Meaning of Name: Pyrrhura: Gr. purhos= flame colored, red. Ouros= tailed. lucianii: in honor of the French ornithologist, Prince of Canino and Musignano and Prince Bonaparte, Jules Lucien Laurent, later called Charles Lucien Jules Laurent-(1803-1857).

See more of the Family Psittacidae