Orange-cheeked Parrot (Pyrilia barrabandi)

Identification & Behavior: ~24.5 cm (9.6 in). The Orange-cheeked Parrot has a black head with bright orange cheeks. The shoulders, underwing coverts, and thighs are also orange. The bill is black. It is often seen in pairs or small flocks in the canopy and sub-canopy in Amazonia. It is structurally similar to the Blue-headed Parrot, but their plumages are very different.

Status: The Orange-cheeked Parrot is fairly common in Amazonia, but appears not to extend its range towards the foothill of the Andes. It also occurs in Co, Ec, Br, and Bo.

Name in Spanish: Loro de Mejilla Naranja.

Sub-species: Orange-cheeked Parrot (Pyrilia barrabandi barrabandi), Kuhl, 1820. S & SE Colombia and S Venezuela to Brazil N of Amazon (E to R Negro).
(P. b. aurantiigena), Gyldenstolpe, 1951. E Ecuador, E Peru and N Bolivia to W Brazil S of Amazon (E to R Madeira and W Mato Grosso).

Meaning of Name: Pyrilia: Gr. Diminutive of Pyre= a burning mass. barrabandi: in honor of artist, painter, and designer of French birds, Jacques Barraband (or Barraban) (1767-1809).

See more of the Family Psittacidae