Pfrimer's Parakeet Pyrrhura pfrimeri Scientific name definitions

Long consigned to ‘mere’ subspecific status, the Pfrimer’s Parakeet is nowadays regarded as a species apart from the Maroon-faced Parakeet (Pyrrhura leucotis). It is an overall green-colored bird with blue in the wings, a red-brown rump, tail and belly, dark green scallops over the underparts, a chestnut-red face, and a blue crown to hindneck. It is usually found in small groups, feeding on flowers, fruits and seeds, sometimes even descending to the ground. Endemic to the dry, limestone-based (caatinga-like) forests of central Brazil, where it is restricted to the relatively remote Serra Geral region, in the states of Goiás and Tocantins, much of its habitat has been (and continues to be) logged. As a result, this parakeet is currently categorized as Endangered, and very little has been published to date concerning its ecology and natural history.

22–23 cm. A largely green parakeet with blue in wing  , a red-brown rump, tail  and belly; breast  has dark green scallops; face chestnut-red  , while crown  , nape and hindneck  are dull blue. Differs subtly from both P. leucotis and <em>P. griseipectus</em> (both allopatric and both formerly treated as conspecific with the present species, see Taxonomy comments) in having generally more blue on head and a reduced auricular patch.

Part of the P. picta–leucotis complex (see P. picta). Differs from P. picta in its maroon face and ear-coverts (tipped pale blue) vs maroon cheek edged bluish below and white ear-coverts (3), blue vs blue-fronted pale grey-brown crown (3), blue-and-white barring vs heavy slate-and-white (above) and green-and-yellow (below) scalloping on breast (3); differs from P. griseipectus in its blue vs brown crown (3), maroon vs bold white ear-coverts (3), relatively limited soft blue-and-white vs extensive bold slate-and-white barring on breast (3), grey vs white periorbital skin (ns[2]); differs from P. leucotis in its blue vs blue-fronted ochreish crown (3), maroon vs bold whitish ear-coverts (3), soft blue-and-white vs bold green-and-discontinuous-white barring on breast (3). Monotypic.

Serra Geral (SE Tocantins, NE Goiás), in EC Brazil.

Deciduous or semi-deciduous dry forest growing on limestone outcrops or limestone-derived soils, typically around 700 m above sea-level. Has been seen in recently fragmented forest patches, but apparently does not occur far from forest edge (1 Olmos, F., Martuscelli, P. and Silva e Silva, R. (1997). Distribution and dry-season ecology of Pfrimer’s Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri, with a reappraisal of Brazilian Pyrrhura “leucotis”. Orn. Neotrop. 8(2): 121–132. Close ).

Few data, but feeds on flowers (Tabebuia impetiginosa, Bauhinia sp.), fruits  (e.g., Ficus gomeleira, cultivated Psidium guajava) and seeds (Hyptis sp.), as well as Cecropia catkins  and cultivated rice (Oryza sativa), sometimes on the ground and typically in groups (up to c. 30, exceptionally c. 120, more typically c. 12) (1 Olmos, F., Martuscelli, P. and Silva e Silva, R. (1997). Distribution and dry-season ecology of Pfrimer’s Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri, with a reappraisal of Brazilian Pyrrhura “leucotis”. Orn. Neotrop. 8(2): 121–132. Close ). Some differences in diet observed with change in seasons, e.g. in Oct–Nov observed to feed mainly on fruits of Ficus gomeleira (72%), but also on fruit pulp of a Pouteria sp. (12%) and inflorescences of Maclura tinctoria (8%), with odd items such as young leaves of Astronium urundeuva and shoots of a Psittacanthus sp., while flowers are especially taken during dry season, when few trees are fruiting (1 Olmos, F., Martuscelli, P. and Silva e Silva, R. (1997). Distribution and dry-season ecology of Pfrimer’s Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri, with a reappraisal of Brazilian Pyrrhura “leucotis”. Orn. Neotrop. 8(2): 121–132. Close ).

No known differences between this species  and other members of the <em>P. leucotis</em> complex .

Very few data available, although both copulation and fledglings (2–3 with pairs of adults) have been observed in Jun, and it has been suggested that the species might breed in limestone rock faces (1 Olmos, F., Martuscelli, P. and Silva e Silva, R. (1997). Distribution and dry-season ecology of Pfrimer’s Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri, with a reappraisal of Brazilian Pyrrhura “leucotis”. Orn. Neotrop. 8(2): 121–132. Close ).

ENDANGERED. Occupies a small range within which much of its forest habitat has been (and continues to be) logged, although models of suitable habitat suggest that its potential range may be twice its current extent of occurence (2 Marini, M. Â., M. Barbet-Massin, L. E. Lopes, and F. Jiguet (2010). Predicting the occurrence of rare Brazilian birds with species distribution models. Journal of Ornithology 151(4):857–866. Close ). Ongoing work suggests there may now be fewer than 50,000 individuals remaining, representing a decline of up to 75% from 1998 estimates of c. 162,000–202,500 birds (1 Olmos, F., Martuscelli, P. and Silva e Silva, R. (1997). Distribution and dry-season ecology of Pfrimer’s Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri, with a reappraisal of Brazilian Pyrrhura “leucotis”. Orn. Neotrop. 8(2): 121–132. Close ) (although the 1998 figure may have been an overestimate as habitat was already severely degraded in parts of the species’ range). Principal threat is deforestation driven by selective logging, fires and habitat conversion to pasture: dry forest in Goiás decreased from covering 15·8% of the state in 1990 to just 5·8 % in 1999 and < 1 % of remaining fragments are larger than 100 ha, with a 66% decrease in available habitat over the past c. 30 years and a current annual deforestation rate of 2·1% (3 Miller, M.P., Bianchi, C.A., Mullins, T.D. and Haig, S.M. (2013). Associations between forest fragmentation patterns and genetic structure in Pfrimer’s Parakeet (Pyrrhura pfrimeri), an endangered endemic to central Brazil’s dry forests. Conservation Genetics. 14: 333–343. Close ). Logging mainly targets durable woods that are commonly used to make fence poles, and cement companies are beginning to target areas of limestone outcrops. The species is rarely recorded in trade or exotic bird collections, but this poses a potential threat (1 Olmos, F., Martuscelli, P. and Silva e Silva, R. (1997). Distribution and dry-season ecology of Pfrimer’s Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri, with a reappraisal of Brazilian Pyrrhura “leucotis”. Orn. Neotrop. 8(2): 121–132. Close ). Population pressure will increase as its range lies close to the capital city, Brasília. P. pfrimeri occurs within the proposed Terra Ronca State Park (yet to be fully implemented) and Mata Grande National Forest, but the flatlands of the first-named now appear to have been deforested, leaving fragments of forest only on karst limestone outcrops; other parts of the species’ range are not protected. Brasília Zoological Garden started a captive breeding programme in 2001, with ten individuals, but none survived by 2007.