Photo: jeanpaulboerekamps, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain / CC0. Unmodified apart from resizing.
Region
Elsewhere (in East Asia only in bird parks or botanic gardens)
Habitat
towns and gardens
Colour
green, brown, red
Size
medium (20 to 50 cm)
IUCN status
Least Concern
IOC breeding range
SA (c)
Identification
A small parrot, 25–26 cm long and 62–81 g, the sexes the same size. The nominate race is dull brown from forehead to nape with green cheeks, ashy-brown ear coverts and a creamy-white ring of bare skin round the eye; green above, with scaly brown-and-white chin, throat and neck sides, a dull red belly and green lower flanks and vent; green wings with bluish flight feathers and a dull red tail. Immatures lack the red belly. Known in aviculture as the green-cheeked conure, with many colour mutations.
Habitat
In its homeland forest, woodland and forest edge, in flocks eating fruit, seeds and flowers. In East Asia it appears only as a cage and bird-park bird.
Distribution
Native to central South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay. There is no wild population in Singapore, China or Japan, and the odd escape does not make one; Birdwatching Notebook lists it as a collectable exotic.
Season and behaviour
Seen all year in bird parks and homes. Resident in the wild.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
Photograph it in a bird park or at home in soft window or overcast light, since green plumage throws harsh highlights in direct sun. The white eye-ring and dull red belly are the marks; focus on the eye, and a medium lens is enough. Label it as a captive bird, never as a wild record.
Field ethics: keep a distance at which the bird does not change its behaviour; never approach or publish nest sites; no baiting, playback or flash; never clear vegetation around a nest; follow reserve rules and stay on paths.
Photographic styles
Small parrot portraits in soft light; green and dull red.
Similar species
Other Pyrrhura parakeets such as the maroon-bellied (different head colours); sun conure (orange-yellow).
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from Wikimedia Commons; its licence and author are under it.
