Bird

CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Psittaciformes
FAMILY: Psittacidae

SIZE:
12 - 14 inches

RANGE:
Central and South America

HABITAT:
Rainforests, jungles

DIET:
Wild - Leaves, flowers, insects, fruits, seeds
Zoo - Fruits, bird seed mix

DESCRIPTION:
Blue-fronts -- one type of 26 species of blunt tailed parrots. Predominantly green plumage, but the head (usually forehead) is marked in other colors as well as the wing joints. The blue-fronted parrot has pale blue feathers on its forehead. Lively birds in their homeland.

ADAPTATIONS:
Very good climber -- awkward flyer -- on the ground they waddle along clumsily.

When kept as pets, blunt tailed parrots sometimes give up flying.

Uses their beaks to climb, crack open nuts and seeds, pick foliage, flowers, and fruits to eat.

Perching feet -- 2 toes in front, 2 in back. Sharp claws

Good camouflage for rainforests.

YOUNG:
Male builds nest; female incubates eggs while male feeds her. Chicks hatch after about 30 days. After about two months they leave the nest.

PET:
Blue-fronts often kept as pets by bird lovers.

Can be good talkers.

Many blue-fronted pets end up in a solitary situation and in an enclosure much too small.

STATUS:
CITES App. II; not threatened; abundant; has benefited from agriculture but is declining from collecting for the pet trade