Family Parrots (Psittacidae)

Least Concern

Blue-fronted Parrotlet (Touit dilectissimus)

Taxonomy

French: Toui à front bleu German: Kronenpapagei Spanish: Cotorrita cariazul

Other common names: Red-winged Parrotlet (when lumped with T. costaricensis)

Taxonomy:

Urochroma dilectissima

P. L. Sclater and Salvin

, 1871,

south of Mérida, Venezuela

Sometimes treated as conspecific with T. costaricensis. Monotypic.

Distribution:

E Panama through NE Colombia to Perijá Mts and Andes of W Venezuela, and S on Pacific slope to SW Ecuador (El Oro).

Descriptive notes

17–18 cm; 59–71 g. Green, paler on underparts; crown bronze-green except for blue forecrown; lores and subocular streak red, both bordered blue below; eyering... read more

Voice

Most common calls are a slightly nasal “chree” or bisyllabic “chu-ree”. In flight, individuals of (... read more

Habitat

Cloud forest and tall second growth in foothills and lower highlands, extending to lowlands at... read more

Food and feeding

Small fruits have been found in stomachs. Recorded in Ecuador feeding on fruits of Clusia cf. alata and ... read more

Breeding

Jun in Colombia; evidently May–Jun in Panama. Nest in arboreal termitarium. A nest in Colombia was c. 7 m above the ground; building... read more

Movements

Seasonal movements take birds into lowlands and up to 3000 m.

Status and conservation

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. Uncommon to rare; part of range in N Colombia now deforested, and suffers from habitat loss within a small range, Venezuela... read more

Bibliography

Public comments

Recommended citation

Collar, N., Boesman, P. & de Juana, E. (2019). Blue-fronted Parrotlet (Touit dilectissimus). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/54704 on 9 December 2019).

Scientific classification

Class: Aves

Order: Psittaciformes

Family: Psittacidae

— Show family text —

Recent reappraisal of higher taxonomy of parrots#R proposed arrangement into three superfamilies, here treated as families (Strigopidae, Cacatuidae, Psittacidae); same study split Psittacidae, as here defined, into three families, with additional recognition of Psittrichasidae (Psittrichas to Coracopsis, below) and Psittaculidae (Psephotus to Micropsitta, below); in present work, separation of these families considered to require further study and perhaps additional support. In the past, present family was often split into two, with recognition of family Loriidae; at the other extreme, it was sometimes considered to include all Psittaciformes.

Subfamily: Arinae

Genus: Touit G. R. Gray, 1855

— Show genus text —

Older genus name Pyrrhulopsis has been demonstrated to refer to species currently placed herein, but due to long and almost universal use of present genus name, as well as confusion generated surrounding use of Pyrrhulopsis (see Prosopeia), application has been filed with ICZN for suppression of name Pyrrhulopsis for purposes of priority and its conversion into an objective junior synonym of Touit#R #R.

See full taxonomic structure and notes