Monday 27 September 2010.
A ProAves expedition in Cesar managed to discover a new population of Todd’s Parakeet (Pyrrhura caeruleiceps) which is critically endangered. This is the first record in patches of tropical forest in the foothills of the Perijá and only the third population of the existing species.
The enigmatic and little known Todd’s Parakeet (Pyrrhura caeruleiceps) has a highly restricted range in the tropical forest, mainly between 500 and 900 meters attitude along the border between Colombia and Venezuela. As part of the Pyrhurra project, supported by the Loro Parque Fundación, Fabián Guzmán, a ProAves researcher, is conducting an expedition in the eastern department of Cesar and managed to find a new population of this species which is critically endangered.
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Todd’s Parakeet (Pyrrhura caeruleiceps). |
After analyzing the possible range (within the Parrot Conservation Plan 2010-2020 in press), this exploration uncovered a new population of the Todd’s Parakeet. Patches of tropical forest in the foothills of the Serranía de Perijá are the first record in an area of 130 km between historical populations and only the third population of the existing species.
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Cotorrita de Perijá habitat (Pyrrhura caeruleiceps). |
Forest loss and fragmentation are the major threats facing these birds. ProAves is trying to determine the current status of the population and the habitat characteristics of this species, among other aspects of its natural history.
With the support of:
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