Red-browed Parrot Amazona rhodocorytha Scientific name definitions

Classified as Endangered by BirdLife International, the Red-browed Parrot has a very small, severely fragmented and declining range and population, although it remains locally common at a handful of lowland forest sites. It is a east Brazilian endemic, and is confined to remnants of Atlantic Forest below 1000 m from Alagoas discontinuously south to São Paulo, in which state it was only very recently discovered. Its distinctive ‘laughing’ calls are often the first indication of the Red-browed Parrot’s presence. In terms of plumage, the red forehead, yellow lores, blue cheeks and throat, and red in the wings and tail, relieve the otherwise all-green feathering. The species feeds on fruit, seeds, berries, and buds taken in the treetops, and has also been recorded feeding in various plantations. The Red-browed Parrot is considered to possibly form a superspecies with another Brazilian endemic, the Red-tailed Parrot (Amazona brasiliensis) and the Guianan Shield endemic, the Blue-cheeked Parrot (Amazona dufresniana).

35 cm. Orange-red lores and crown shading to brownish purple on hindcrown, with rest of area round bill yellowish pink; cheeks bluish to violet-blue, greener on ear-coverts; nape, mantle and sides of neck green edged dark; remaining body and wings green, paler below, with small red speculum and black primaries, secondaries tipped dark blue; outer tail feathers with red subterminal patch fringed yellowish. Immature  with red much reduced on head, wings and tail.

E Brazil: SE Bahia and E Minas Gerais S to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo; disjunctly in Alagoas.

Humid lowland forest  , though also ranging into interior highlands to 900 m.

Some displacement to mangroves noted, around Jun, in 19th century.

No species-specific information beyond fruit of “cajueira” (presumably cashew nuts). Recorded feeding  on several fruits  .

A variety of barks and screeches, most rather low-pitched. Flight call is a doubled or tripled, rolling bisyllabic, bark “coyoc...coyoc”.

Evidence suggests Sept–Nov, as is usual in Atlantic forest birds. In captivity: four eggs; incubation 24 days; nestling period 34 days.

VULNERABLE. CITES I. Restricted to 2700 km² in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil BirdLife International (2014) Species factsheet: Amazona rhodocorytha. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21/12/2014. , in E Minas Gerais, N São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Bahia and Alagoas (2 Klemann-Júnior, L., Monteiro, T.V. and Straube, F.C. (2008). Amazona rhodocorytha (Salvadori, 18947) Pp. 460-462 in:. Close ). The disjunct Alagoas population persists at São Miguel dos Campos, but recent surveys failed to find it elsewhere in the state (2 Klemann-Júnior, L., Monteiro, T.V. and Straube, F.C. (2008). Amazona rhodocorytha (Salvadori, 18947) Pp. 460-462 in:. Close ). Less than 1% of this species original habitat is now estimated to remain (2 Klemann-Júnior, L., Monteiro, T.V. and Straube, F.C. (2008). Amazona rhodocorytha (Salvadori, 18947) Pp. 460-462 in:. Close ). Small populations highly fragmented by chronic deforestation within range, and gene exchange between many or all of them may no longer be possible. Meanwhile, birds are still trapped for local trade, and this now seems to be the principal threat (3 Klemann-Júnior, L., Scherer Neto, P., Monteiro, T.M., Ramos, F.M. and Almeida, R. (2008). Mapeamento da distribuição e conservação do chauá (Amazona rhodocorytha) no estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil. Ornitología Neotropical. 19: 183-196. Close ). Formerly abundant, global population estimated in 2014 to be in the range 2500–10,000 mature individuals, revised upwards from the previous estimate of fewer than 2500 individuals BirdLife International (2018) Species factsheet: Amazona rhodocorytha. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 11/01/2018. . Still fairly common at a few sites, with surveys encountering 2295 birds in Espírito Santo in 2004–2006 (3 Klemann-Júnior, L., Scherer Neto, P., Monteiro, T.M., Ramos, F.M. and Almeida, R. (2008). Mapeamento da distribuição e conservação do chauá (Amazona rhodocorytha) no estado do Espírito Santo, Brasil. Ornitología Neotropical. 19: 183-196. Close ) BirdLife International (2018) Species factsheet: Amazona rhodocorytha. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 11/01/2018. . Species is present but not secure in Monte Pascoal National Park (Bahia), Rio Doce and Ibitipoca State Parks (Minas Gerais), Córrego Grande, Córrego do Veado, Sooretama and Augusto Ruschi Biological Reserves (Espírito Santo), near Desengano State Park (Rio de Janeiro) and Serra da Bocaína National Park (São Paulo). Considered Endangered in Brazil until 2014 (2 Klemann-Júnior, L., Monteiro, T.V. and Straube, F.C. (2008). Amazona rhodocorytha (Salvadori, 18947) Pp. 460-462 in:. Close ), it is now classed as nationally Vulnerable (4 MMA (2014). Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção. Portaria No 444, de 17 de dezembro de 2014. Diário Oficial da União - Seção 1. Nº 245, quinta-feira, 18 de dezembro de 2014. Close ).