Morphology – "Cuban Parakeet"

26 cm. length and a weight between 78 and 96 g..

The bill of the Cuban Parakeet (Psittacara euops) is strong and hooked, presenting the capacity of both the upper and the lower mobility, enabling this psittacine to husk and crush seeds, fruits and nuts discarded by many other birds, thus showing another successful feature of this Psittacara.

Their legs they have a magnificent prehensile capacity that allows them to take incredible poses and hold on to extreme places thanks to a "zygodactyly" arrangement of the fingers by moving two fingers forward, the 2 and 3, and two backwards, the 1 and 4.

Has the head, sides neck and nape green grass with some red feathers scattered, sometimes forming patches. The upperparts and upperwing-coverts grass-green; primaries and secondaries with margins and dark green tips to vane inner; carpal edge with scattered red feathers and bend of wing red. Underwing-coverts with golden brown in the flight feather, small and medium-sized coverts Red and large coverts Yellow olive. The underparts yellowish green with diffusion of color olive, sometimes with scattered red feathers, especially in the throat and/or the thighs. Upper, the tail dark green color with dye olive; by down yellowish brown. The bill color Horn; bare periophthalmic bluish white; irises yellow; legs distant.

The female has more orange in the wings.

Immature has green and red in underwing-coverts, beige color (not red) in carpal edge, irises Gray with scattered red feathers.

• Sound of the Cuban Parakeet.

They inhabit on Savannah, especially in areas where there are the Palmas Copernicus and Thrinax, at the edges of forests and Lands planted with trees. Although they have also been very modified habitats, such as eucalyptus forests in open field and fragments of forests of Evergreen in sheets of Palma. The species survives only near large extensions of primary forest.

In general, observed in family groups or small flocks, but sometimes in larger groups, hundreds of birds; the Cuban Parakeet, often, mix with the more common and endemic Cuban Parrot (Amazona leucocephala).

One of the major problems of this kind in the reproduction, It is competition and the finding by the nesting cavities; This psittacine is a small, so their physical advantage over other birds to displace these from cavities or nests is less and they must show greater aggressiveness to be able to expel woodpeckers and even some small birds of prey These cavities that already occupy.

But, in recent studies, It is suggested that in free-living this species has a high degree of selectivity by the height of the Palma in which anidated or for the depth of the nest, still not evident during the stage of formation of couples and nesting strong signs of gregariousness, But if there could be a tendency to prefer nests with a sufficiently narrow entrance opening to enter the couple and hamper the penetration of predators. It also seems that the species in reproduction is more tolerant of other neighboring couples of the same species, than others parrots, but to some degree of alienation, preferring Palmas in which there is only one cavity to have a certain degree of privacy in the rearing of their chicks.

The breeding season It begins in April and usually ends in July. They sometimes build their nests in cavities excavated, originally, by the Cuban Green Woodpecker (Xiphidiopicus percussus).

The number of eggs in the implementation It, in averaged, between three and five. The incubation both members of the couple is done, as well as feeding the young until they leave the nest. Once abandoned the nest, You can see to the immature flying with parents in small camps before the winter season, forming major sides joining them different families.

Diet Cuban Parakeet consists in fruits Mango, papaya, guava, Roystonea Palms, Melicoccus bijogatus and Spondias mombin, as well as seeds of Inga vera, outbreaks, Millet and berries.

Formerly persecuted by provoking large damage to crops Orange, coffee and corn.

Species vulnerable to extinction, from an original distribution throughout Cuba and Isle of youth, isolated populations between Yes.

Formerly one of the most common endemic birds in Cuba and in the Isle of youth, old Isle of pines, but now is limited to various strongholds in remote areas of Cuba, including the Zapata Peninsula, the districts around Cienfuegos and the mountains around the city of Trinidad, to the extent Western Centre of the island, and Sierra Maestra at the end of this.

Resident but some seasonal movements (Perhaps altitude) supposedly by the decline of the birds of the mountains of Trinidad in the months of September and October.

Extinct in the Isle of youth from 1913, mainly due to the strong capture for export as bird cage.

The current population, Although comparatively small, Perhaps stable. A small number of captivity out of Cuba, especially in Eastern Europe. The international trade currently it is small.

Today this species is restricted to 16 populations considering that a total of 2800 individuals released, with a number of individuals per population not exceeding, usually, the 100 copies and is considered of greater size the located in the Zapata Swamp live in where is estimated around 800 these birds. Each of these populations are isolated or insulated semi between if, not exceeding groups or sides that make it up, the 30 individuals, with a general tendency to the disappearance of the species in many of the populations, mainly due to the loss of Habitat and illegal catches.

State of conservation ⓘ
Vulnerable ⓘ (UICN)ⓘ

• Red List category of the UICN current: Vulnerable

• Population trend: Decreasing

There are no new data on the evolution of the population of the Cuban Parakeet; But, the species is suspected of have been declining at a moderate pace, mainly as a result of the habitat degradation.

Rounded, a population estimated between 1,500-7,000 mature individuals.

The persecution as a pest of crops, loss of habitat and, in particular, the capture for trade bird cage, They explain the current shortage of copies of Cuban Parakeet (A. Kirkconnell in litt., 2007).

The capture for trade International is now insignificant, with only 10 birds recorded in trade between 1991 and 1995. Another major threat is the loss of nesting trees (Snyder et to the., 2000) as a result of hurricane damage (as the caused in the Zapata Peninsula by the Hurricane Lili in 1996), and the felling of trees for chicks of the Cuban Parrot (Amazona leucocephala) (A. Mitchell in litt., 1998).

In captivity, they are very sleepers and somewhat quarrelsome and restless, needing always to be monitored. Non-communicative the issuance of words but very friendly with the person you choose as partner, which will not get rid of some sympathetic evil, almost always tolerated and even grateful.

Sensitive to the changing conditions of the ecosystem that inhabits.

The requirements and difficulties in the reproduction of this species are considerable.

Own this nice bird as pet, Although on the one hand it can be a satisfaction to the owner, on the other hand means to convict individuals of this species not reproduction and populations to lead them to the risk of the extinction.

– Cuban Parakeet, Cuban Conure, Cuban Paroquet, Red-speckled Conure (English).
– Conure de Cuba, Perriche de Cuba, Perruche de Cuba (French).
– Kubasittich (German).
– Periquito-cubano (Portuguese).
– Aratinga Cubana, Perico, Periquito, Periquito Cubano (español).
– Catey, Perico, Periquito (Cuba).

– Order: Psittaciformes
– Family: Psittacidae
– Genus: Psittacara
– Scientific name: Psittacara euops
– Citation: (Wagler, 1832)
– Protonimo: Sittace euops

Sources:

• Sounds: Hans Matheve (Xeno-canto)