[EBB Sightings] Conure family?
[EBB Sightings] Conure family?
Rusty Scalf
Thu Nov 08 12:23:54 PST 2007
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About 45 minutes ago I watched four Aratinga parrots feed on the green
cones of a Cypress (species unknown) a block from my house. I watched
them with my scope and wonder if this could be a family group.
They're a perfect match to Aratinga mitrata, the Mitred Conure, except
that their facial color is pure orange, not red or even scarlet, but
orange like the fruit. Per bill color, eye ring, no other species of
Aratinga makes sense. Although I haven't seem images of all species,
none of the commonly kept ones are a match.
Two of the birds had orange flecking at on the back of then necks and
their napes, a known character for Mitred Conure. Two lacked this
entirely and seemed to have less orange on the face. So I wonder if I
had two adults and two young ones.
If you are a parrot savant, please let me know about this.
Mitred Conure is abundant in Long Beach, CA (where I spent last week).
In one flying flock, I counted 59 before they flew out of sight, and I
think there were 5-12 more. During my five days in Long Beach, I heard
or saw this species about every other time I ventured outdoors. But the
ones I saw well had scarlet, not orange faces.
Rusty Scalf
Berkeley, CA
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