The White-breasted Parakeet (Pyrrhura albipectus) or White-necked Parakeet is a species of parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

 in the Psittacidae family. It is found in southern Ecuador

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

 and adjacent northern Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

.

Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

 is subtropical or tropical moist montane

Montane

In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...

s. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Identification

The white-breasted Parakeet is on average about 24 centimeters in length. The parakeet has a dusky crown with pale gray fringes on its hind part, thin red frontal band, yellow and green scaled cheeks and orange ear coverts, full white collar and yellow breast, and a green belly and underparts. Its wings are green while its tail both green and red. Younger birds can be spotted as they lack frontal bands and have paler ear coverts.

More Information

The White-breasted parakeet lives in montane tropical forests in southern Ecuador and extreme northern Peru. They normally stay within a flock between four and 20 parakeets. Although still endangered, this range suggests that although their numbers are dwindling, there population is not as low as originally feared. This bird is on the endangered species list as its main threat to survival is habitat destruction due to logging and illegal gold mining and human settlement.

External links

• BirdLife Species Factsheet.