Appearance
The scarlet-fronted parakeet is 34 to 40 cm long and weighs 162 to 217 g. The sexes are alike. Adults are generally green that is yellower on the underparts; some have red speckles on their throat. Their English name comes from their red forehead and the front part of their crown. The undersides of their flight feathers and tail are olive-yellow. Their iris is pale gray surrounded by bare gray skin, their bill horn colored, and their legs and feet brownish. Subspecies "P. w. transilis" is overall somewhat smaller and darker than the nominate, and the red on its crown does not extend as far to the rear. Immature birds resemble adults but with less red on their head.
Distribution
The scarlet-fronted parakeet has a disjunct distribution. The nominate subspecies is found in the Colombian Andes, the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia, in the Serranía del Perijá that straddles the Colombia/Venezuela border, and in western Venezuela. Subspecies "P. w. transilis" is found in extreme eastern Colombia and in northern Venezuela from Falcón east to Sucre and Monagas. The species inhabits a variety of landscapes including the edges of cloudforest, tropical deciduous forest, and gallery and secondary forest. It also occurs in fields, orchards, and parks in built-up areas. In elevation it ranges from 350 to 2,500 m.Status
The IUCN has assessed the scarlet-fronted parakeet as Near Threatened. It has a fragmented range; its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. The primary threats are "trapping pressure, persecution and habitat loss through land-use change."Habitat
The scarlet-fronted parakeet has a disjunct distribution. The nominate subspecies is found in the Colombian Andes, the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in northern Colombia, in the Serranía del Perijá that straddles the Colombia/Venezuela border, and in western Venezuela. Subspecies "P. w. transilis" is found in extreme eastern Colombia and in northern Venezuela from Falcón east to Sucre and Monagas. The species inhabits a variety of landscapes including the edges of cloudforest, tropical deciduous forest, and gallery and secondary forest. It also occurs in fields, orchards, and parks in built-up areas. In elevation it ranges from 350 to 2,500 m.Reproduction
The scarlet-fronted parakeet nests from April to June in Venezuela and December to June in northern Colombia. It breeds colonially, usually in fissures in cliff faces.{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="background-color:#f6f6f6"
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Songs and calls
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Food
The scarlet-fronted parakeet usually forages in the forest canopy. Its diet has not been fully described but is known to include fruits, nuts, and seeds. In some areas it may be a crop pest.References:
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