Description: A small Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet (Touit purpuratus) is one of two similar but allopatric Touit parrotlets with brown on the back and red tail. Only Touit parrotlets have a blue rump and are differentiated from T. melanonotus by being green, not brown. They are mostly found in groups of 15 to 40 birds. The breeding season starts in March. On average, a clutch contains 3 to 5 eggs.
Subspecies: The two subspecies are differentiated by the color of the crown.
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T. p. purpuratus crown and occiput olive-brown; scapulars and tertials dark brown, forming a “V”-shaped band; lateral tail feathers violet-red, tipped black or green. Range Guianas, northern Brazil, from Amapá and northern Maranhão west to northeastern Amazonas, and southern Venezuela
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T. p. viridiceps crown and occiput green range: northernmost Brazil, in the northwestern Amazonas, and southern Venezuela; west of Cerro Duida in the southern Amazonas; west to southeastern Colombia; eastern Ecuador; and northeastern Peru.
Sapphire-rumped Parrotlets are rare and unknown in captivity. Photo credit: Pinterest
Similar Species: Lilac-tailed Parrotlet T. batavicus greenish-yellow head; the upperparts are black with a yellow “wing patch.” Scarletshouldered Parrotlet T. huetii blue face, red underwing coverts, and a prominent white eye ring. Forpus parrotlets are smaller green parrots with all-green, wedge-shaped tails, normally on or near the ground in open country. Nannopsittaca parrotlets have no brown scapulars and an all-green tail. Short-tailed Brotogeris parakeets have orange chin-spots or yellow forecrows and all-green, pointed tails.
Distribution: Sapphire-rumped parrotlets is rare and unknown in captivity. However, these are found in the Amazon River basin; up to 1200m; uncommon. Amacayacu National Park, Amazonas, southernmost Colombia; Cuyabeno Reserve; Sucumbíos, northeastern Ecuador. Duke Forest Reserve, near Manaus, Amazonas, and Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Cristalino State Park, northern Mato Grosso, Brazil, French Guiana, Venezuela, Peru, and Suriname
Habitats: Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is difficult to spot due to its camouflaged plumage. Mainly relaxing on the high up in treetops most of the time.
Diet: The diet mainly consists of fruit, mainly figs, berries, seeds, and buds.
Size and Weight: The Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet is a small parrot, 17cm (6.6 in) in length (including tail), with an average weight of 54–66 g (1.9–2.3 oz).
Calls: It is quiet but Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet call is nasal ny-aah, trisyllabic aa-aaeck, and keree-ke-ke. When the birds are perched or in flight, they give drawn-out, complaining call notes and very dissimilar calls of other parrots in range.
