Appearance
Spectacled parrotlets are sexually dimorphic and can be sexed around three weeks of age. The male has violet-blue plumage under the wings and on rump. Males will also develop contour of blue around eyes after their first moult .Females are completely green with a slightly brighter green head than body.
Weighing only 30 grams and growing up to 12 cm, spectacled parrotlets are the smallest parrotlet to exist.
Babies are born with a bright pink beak that changes to a beige colour as they age. They have a large and strong bill used for climbing and cracking open seeds and nuts, digging, foraging and preening.
Naming
''Forpus conspicillatus caucae'' - On the male, the blue is paler and less violet in rump and on upper and under wing coverts, slightly bigger beak. Females look identical to those of the nominate species. This subspecies is found in the Western Andes, and the upper Patia and Dagua Valley as well as the Cauca Valley in Colombia. It is considered an endangered species.''Forpus conspicillatus metae'' - On the male, the underparts are a brighter, yellowish green colour, the throat and cheeks and bend of the wing may also appear yellowish. The head is a brighter green, and blue contour around eye is reduced to mainly the posterior part of feathers surrounding the eye. Can be found in Eastern Andes, and from Meta River, in Central Colombia all the way into Western Venezuela.
Distribution
Spectacled parrotlets are endemic to Middle and South America, including Northern and Central Colombia, Venezuela, and Eastern Panama. . Natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.Couples will nest in tree holes of the Amazon Rainforest, or take over abandoned tree hole nests that other species have made.
Green and blue colouring helps them camouflage with the tropical trees of amazon. Though colour mutations such as the yellow pied mutation may occur in captivity, they are rare in wild due to the fact that a brighter colour compromises ability to hide from predators.
Habitat
Spectacled parrotlets are endemic to Middle and South America, including Northern and Central Colombia, Venezuela, and Eastern Panama. . Natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest.Couples will nest in tree holes of the Amazon Rainforest, or take over abandoned tree hole nests that other species have made.
Green and blue colouring helps them camouflage with the tropical trees of amazon. Though colour mutations such as the yellow pied mutation may occur in captivity, they are rare in wild due to the fact that a brighter colour compromises ability to hide from predators.
Cultural
In recent years, spectacled parrotlets have become increasingly popular pets. Parrotlets can be held in captivity as breeding pairs or as a social companion.References:
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