The Canary-winged Parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus), also known as the White-winged Parakeet, is a small parrot native to the Amazon River basin from southeast Colombia to the River's mouth in Brazil. Caged birds have been released and the birds have established self sustaining populations in Lima, Peru, the Los Angeles, San Francisco, California and Miami, Florida areas of the United States, and in Puerto Rico. Although feral birds are showing some recent declines as nesters in the United States, they seem to be doing well in their native habitat.

Description

The Canary-winged Parakeet is 22 cm in length, and is mostly green in color. It has a trailing yellow edge on its folded wings. Its most distinguished characteristic is the white wing patches most noticed when the bird is in flight. It is closely related to the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, and the two have often been considered conspecific.

Behaviour

Food and feeding

The Canary-winged Parakeet feeds mostly on seeds and fruit in its native habitat, and feral populations have adapted to take in blossoms and nectar. Feral birds will also come to bird feeders. Wild birds primarily use disturbed forest and forest clearings around settlements. It rarely uses deep tropical forest.

Breeding

The Canary-winged Parakeet usually finds a hole in a tree to nest in. It may also form a nesting tunnel in a dead palm frond.

Clutches usually consist of four to five white eggs, which hatch after about 26 days of incubation. Chicks leave the nest about 45 days after hatching. After raising its young, all birds will form rather large communal roosts until the next breeding season.