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Spectacled Parrotlet - Forpus conspicillatus (Lafresnaye 1848)

1. Forpus c. conspicillatus (Lafresnaye 1848)
Spectacled Parrotlet
German: Augenring-Sperlingspapagei

Description
Green; forehead, crown, cheeks, ear-coverts and throat emerald-green; area around eye and extending behind cobalt-blue; breast and abdomen tinged grey-bluish-green; upper back and lesser wing-coverts grey-greenish; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, under wing-coverts dark violet-blue; primary- and secondary-coverts as well as upper greater wing-coverts violet-blue; secondaries violet; underside of flight feathers pale bluish-grey; bill pale horn-colour; skin to narrow periophthalmic ring grey; iris dark-brown; feet flesh-coloured.
Female as male, but with all blue plumage green; plumage generally much paler; breast and abdomen without grey-blue tinge; back less grey.
Immature male as adult, but with emerald-green periophthalmic area and greyish-green under wing-coverts; all blue plumage interspersed with green; immature female resembles adult, but plumage generally duller; sex already identifiable; adult plumage attained at 5 months.

Length
13 cm (5 ins)

Distribution
Eastern Panama; northern and central Colombia in upper R¡o Sin£ Valley and lower Cauca Valley
east to western slopes of Perij Mountains; in central and upper Magdalena Valley to south Huila.

2. Forpus c. metae or female Borrero und Camacho 1961
Meta Spectacled Parrotlet
German: Meta-Augenring-Sperlingspapagei

Description
As conspicillatus, but plumage generally slightly duller; forehead, crown, breast and abdomen more yellowish; blue periophthalmic area reduced to narrow line over and behind eye; under wing-coverts and rump slightly paler violet-blue.
Female as conspicillatus, but generally much more yellowish-green; under tail-coverts yellowish-green.
Immature male has only small, blue stripe over eye.

Length
12.5 cm (5 ins)

Distribution
From eastern slopes of Eastern Andes in Meta, Cundinamarca and Boyac ; central Colombia east
along Río Meta to western Venezuela.

3. Forpus c. caucae (Chapman 1915)
Cauca Spectacled Parrotlet
German: Cauca-Augenring-Sperlingspapagei

Description
As conspicillatus, but plumage generally much paler; forehead, crown, cheeks, breast and abdomen more yellowish; blue periophthalmic area reduced to narrow line above and behind eye to ear-coverts; under wing-coverts and rump blue instead of violet-blue; blue lower back much paler.

Note
Birds from the upper Patía valley are extremely pale and were alleged by Lehmann and Haffer to be pallescens, but they have never been scientifically described as such; according to verbal information from J. Haffer caucae becomes paler in the south, but this does not justify classifying Pat¡a population as separate subspecies.

Female as conspicillatus, but plumage generally much more yellowish-green; under tail-coverts yellowish-green.

Length
12 cm (4.75 ins)

Distribution
West of Andes in Cauca and Nario, upper parts of Dagua and Patía Valleys as well as central and
upper Cauca Valley, Colombia.

Note
Possibly found in Loja Province at 3,000 m (10,000 ft), southwest Ecuador making a further, undescribed population or subspecies.

Habitat
Open woodland, thorn-bush savannah, open country with bushes, trees and secondary vegetation in
the dry and semiarid tropical and subtropical zones to 1,600 m (5,300 ft); at 2,600 m (8,600 ft) in savannah around Bogotá; llanos of Colombia and Venezuela.

Status
Common, but often only found in localities.

Habits
In flocks of 4 to 10 birds outside breeding season; prefers bushes and low trees; conspicuous as green very bright during flight; however well-camouflaged by plumage when perched in trees or bushes; does not remain long in one place; if disturbed flies off and settles in bush or low tree 50 to 100 m (150 to 300 ft) distant; slightly more shy than other Forpus species; approachable to 10 to 15 m (30 to 50 ft); usually forages in trees and bushes, but also comes down to ground for grass seeds; seasonal migrations in localities; small flocks conspicuous by twittering noise; contact call soft high-pitched twittering; flight swift and gently undulating.

Natural diet
Half-ripened and dry grass seeds, berries, fruits, vegetable matter, buds, flowers and cactus fruits.

Breeding behaviour
Breeding season from January to May; nests in cactus, branches, trees, fence-posts and cracks in old palm stumps; often not high above ground; in one case at 2 m (6 ft); nest hole was 50 cm (20 ins) deep; clutch 4 to 5 eggs; during incubation male stayed close to nest; egg measures 18.1 x 16.0 mm (0.71 x 0.63 ins).

Aviculture
Relatively quiet; newly imported birds susceptible; captive-bred birds hardy and not susceptible; initially shy; soon becoming confiding; can be kept in colony or with finches outside breeding period as less aggressive than other parrotlets; differing bathing requirement; enjoys chewing fresh branches; tends to become obese in small cage.

Accommodation
Ideal aviary 2 x 1 x 2 m (6 x 3 x 6 ft); bird room cage at least 120 x 40 x 50 cm (48 x 16 x 20 ins) also possible; minimum temperature during acclimation 20°C (68°F).

Diet
Seed mix of canary grass, various millets, weeds, some wheat and oats as well as a little sunflower; millet spray (also sprouted); various fruit and vegetable ( carrot, pear, apple, half-ripened maize etc.) rose hip, mountain ash berries, greenfood (chickweed, dandelion etc.); insect softfood for rearing; tendency to unbalanced diet by eating seed.

Breeding in aviculture
Regularly achieved and not difficult; breeding in spacious communal aviary possible, but not recommended as pairs can disturb each other; provide budgerigar nestboxes all year as many pairs breed in winter; prefers to start breeding in February, but can breed all year; clutch between 3 and 6 eggs; usually 4 or 5 eggs; often not all eggs fertile; incubation 20 to 22 days; fledging period 4 to 5 weeks; young often tolerated by adults long after leaving nest; should however be separated before next breeding starts; young capable of breeding at 12 months; several breedings per year possible; however more than two should not be permitted as egg-binding can occur.