IDENTIFICATION – Andean Parakeet (Bolborhynchus orbygnesius) is a 17.5 cm (7 in) stocky darker than the mountain parakeet, all-green parakeet with bluish-green under-wings seen when in flights. It has a short pale green tail and a medium-length tail. Most time a shy and silent parakeet, very receptive to cold, infections, and stress, can die without apparent reason and is exceptional in captivity.
DISTRIBUTION – This green parakeet is mainly found in the wooded valley of eastern slopes of the Andes from Cajamarca and La Libertad, northern Peru, south to northern Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, central-western Bolivia, and western slopes only in Lima, central Peru. They are found at an elevation of mostly 2,900 to 3,800 m, however, the local elevations are about 1300 to 5000 m; common. Habitually they are moving in flocks in small groups but occasionally observed more than 325 individuals.
SIMILAR SPECIES – Mountain Parakeet B. aurifrons brighter yellowish green; yellow face; a bit longer tail; mostly on the western slope, so hardly ever in contact. Forpus parrotlets are blue on rump and wings; normally in low vegetation or grasslands. Touit parrotlets significantly spotted wings in T. stictopterus; with blue face and red under-wings-coverts in T. huetii.
LOCALITIES – Machu Picchu Hotel (Hotel Ruinas) and mountain trails above Machu Picchu, Cuzco, and around San Mateo on the main road from Lima to Huancayo, in Peru. It is close to the Pillahuata in Manu Biosphere Reserve, Cuzco, Peru. Polylepis forests of San Miguel, Cochabamba, Bolivia (not common). Previously Andean Parakeet was known as B. andicolus.
Andea Parakeet call is chattering dy-dy-dy-dy-gy, dy-dy-dy-dy-gy, a series of gurk notes, repeated chiteeet- teeet, chi-teeet-teeet, rolling rrueetee, rrueetee. Photo Credit – Alchetron
CALL – Andea Parakeet call is chattering dy-dy-dy-dy-gy, dy-dy-dy-dy-gy, a series of gurk notes, repeated chiteeet- teeet, chi-teeet-teeet, rolling rrueetee, rrueetee. Sometimes the rapid series of like a chuckled “juh-juh-juh.”
FOOD – The Food consists of buds, berries, seeds, and buds. The parakeet breeds in burrows on steep banks.
LIFE SPAN – The average life span is 9.3 years.
ORDER – Psittaciformes
FAMILY – Psittacidae
GENUS – Bolborhynchus
STATUS IUCN – The Least Concern, is as the population is stable.
SPANISH NAME – Catita Andina
Andean Parakeet (Bolborhynchus orbygnesius) is a 17.5 cm (7 in) stocky darker than the mountain parakeet, all-green parakeet with bluish-green under-wings seen when in flights. Photo Credit – ebird
