Rose-ringed Parakeet

Scientific Name: Psittacula krameri

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Originally limited to equatorial Africa and India, this bird has feral populations scattered throughout the world.

Field Notes: All green parakeet, males with a rose-colored ring around its neck and slight blue hue to its head.

Personal Notes: A surprising sight in Maria Lucia Park, Seville.

Kea

Scientific Name: Nestor Notabilis

Population Estimate: 5000

Range / Habitat: Endemic to New Zealand's South Island, kea are found from Nelson to Fiordland and in Marlborough.

Field Notes: These birds are predominantly olive-green in colour, with darker edges. The lower back and tail are reddish, whilst the underwings are orange with yellow markings. The dark, recurved upper bill is significantly larger in males than females

Personal Notes: A welcome sight at the top of Avalanche Peak. It also marked our 100th bird blog entry of 2012!

Glossy Black Cockatoo

Scientific Name: Calyptorhynchus lathami

Population Estimate: 17K

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia, where found in dry forest in the southeastern corner of the country.

Field Notes: Large, black cockatoo with red tail panels. Female with yellow splotches on face. Other black cockatoos in Australia differ in either tail panel or head markings.

Personal Notes: A spectacular sighting by Richard while on the Princes Highway at the border of New South Wales and Victoria.

Galah

Scientific Name: Eolophus roseicapilla

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in woodlands, grasslands, and urban areas throughout the country.

Field Notes: Large, loud grey bird with pink head and neck. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: "The pigeon of Canberra."

Crimson Rosella

Scientific Name: Platycercus elegans

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Forested and artificial habitats throughout Australia. Introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island.

Field Notes: Classically a red parrot with blue wings, tail and cheek patch as above. Variants throughout Australia may have yellow, green, or orange bodies. Western Rosella orange body with yellow cheek patch. Eastern Rosella with red head and neck but yellow chest and white cheek patch.

Personal Notes: "Road parrot" common throughout parts of NSW. The taxonomy of the rosellas is still quite a topic for debate.

Red-rumped Parrot

Scientific Name: Psephotus haematonotus

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia where found in a variety of habitats in the southeast quadrant of the country.

Field Notes: Male is brilliant green with unmarked face, yellow lower belly, and red rump. Female is a plain brown-green.

Personal Notes: Seen at Royal Botanical Gardens, Melbourne.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

Scientific Name: Cacatua galerita

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in forested and artificial landscapes on the eastern and northern areas of Australia in addition to Paupa New Guinea.

Field Notes: Large, all-white parrot with long yellow crest. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: An excellent find in the Royal Botanical Gardens of Melbourne, made even better since the camera was malfunctioning but Richard managed to the bottom photo anyway. Tens of birds later seen at Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney.

Rainbow Lorikeet

Scientific Name: Trichoglossus moluccanus

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Found is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas of eastern Australia, northwest Tasmania, eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Field Notes: Large, blue-headed lorikeet with orange or red breast. Green wings and tail. Unmistakable in range.

Personal Notes: Quite a fun "urban bird" in Melbourne.

Red-crowned Parakeet

Scientific Name: Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae

Population Estimate: 21K - 25K, Vulnerable status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to New Zealand where prefers forested areas. Very rare in mainland forests, but common on Stewart Island and in sanctuaries.

Field Notes: All green parakeet with red crown, red eye, and red eye stripe. Violet blue on wing coverts. Yellow-crowned Parakeet similar but with yellow crown and without red eye stripe.

Personal Notes: Maori name Kakariki. First seen at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and then later in the wild on Stewart Island.

Eastern Rosella

Scientific Name: Platycercus eximius

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Endemic to Australia and Tasmania where it favors lightly wooded areas. Subsequently introduced to New Zealand where it is found primarily on the North Island.

Field Notes: Long-tailed parrot with red head and upper breast, cheeks white. Lower breast yellow. Back, rump, and flanks mottled yellow-green. Blue wings.

Personal Notes: Seen in the Wairarapa, Kenepuru, and even in the hills of Wellington outside Karori.

Kakapo

Scientific Name: Strigops habroptila

Population Estimate: 131 individuals in 2011, Critically Endangered status

Range / Habitat: Used to be endemic throughout New Zealand. Now only on a few predator-free islands off the coast. Mating cycle dependent on one specific tree, the rimu, and its erratic fruiting cycle.

Field Notes: Large, nocturnal, flightless. Uses a lek system to mate, the only parrot or flightless bird to do so.

Personal Notes: Probably the only opportunity to see a Kakapo in our lifetimes, this was Sirocco on loan to Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington. The predator-free islands where Kakapo now live in the wild are closed to the public. For more information see http://www.kakaporecovery.org.nz/. Kakapo translates as "night parrot" or "owl parrot" in Maori.

Orange-chinned Parakeet

Scientific Name: Brotogeris jugularis

Population Estimate: 500K to 5M

Range / Habitat: Subtropical / tropical lowland dry forest from Central America to northwestern South America.

Field Notes: Overall green parakeet with short, pointed tail in flight. When perched, orange chin is subtle but brown shoulder patch more prominent.

Personal Notes: Seen at Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Yellow-naped Amazon

Scientific Name: Amazona auropalliata

Population Estimate: 20-50K

Range / Habitat: Subtropical / tropical lowland dry forest in southern Mexico and Central America.

Field Notes: Green parrot with yellow nape and no other distinguishing facial features.

Personal Notes: Seen at Arenal Nayara Hotel, Costa Rica

Scarlet Macaw

Scientific Name: Ara macao

Population Estimate: 20-50K

Range / Habitat: Lowland moist forest of northern South America and Central America.

Field Notes: Large macaw, primarily red. Yellow in wings, noticeable during flight. The similar Red-and-green Macaw has prominent green in wings.

Personal Notes: We came across a raucous group of 8 scarlets while driving an hour south of Cararo National Forest in CR. What Luck!

Red-and-green Macaw

Scientific Name: Ara chloropterus

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Lowland moist forest throughout South America.

Field Notes: Large macaw, primarily red. But with green on wings, noticeable during flight. This is what helps differentiate the otherwise known Green-winged Macaw from the Scarlet Macaw.

Personal Notes: Seen at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Blue-and-yellow Macaw

Scientific Name: Ara ararauna

Population Estimate: Unknown, but Least Concern status

Range / Habitat: Year-round in lowland moist forest of northern South America.

Field Notes: Blue on back, top of head and wings. Yellow on

Personal Notes: Seen in captivity Disney's Animal Kingdom then a month later in "the wild" at Arenal Nayara Hotel in Costa Rica.

Orange-fronted Parakeet

Scientific Name: Aratinga canicularis

Population Estimate: 500K to 5M

Location of Sighting: San Blas, Mexico

Date of Sighting: January, 2010

Notes: We were lucky to catch this pair in a perfect pose....

Military Macaw

Scientific Name: Ara militaris

Population Estimate: 10K to 20K, Vulnerable

Location of Sighting: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Date of Sighting: January, 2010

Notes: This amazing bird was at a local conservation area.

Yellow-headed Amazon

Scientific Name: Amazona Oratrix

Population Estimate: 7K

Range / Habitat: Formerly included both coastal slopes of Mexico from the Tres Marías Islands and Jalisco to Oaxaca and from Nuevo León to northern Chiapas and southwestern Tabasco, as well as a disjunct area including most of Belize, and another comprising a small part of northeastern Guatemala and northwestern Honduras.[

Field Notes: The Yellow-headed Amazon (Amazona oratrix), also known as the Yellow-headed Parrot and Double Yellow-headed Amazon. Nominate race green with yellow head, thighs and carpal area. White orbital ring. Red bend of wing and speculum. Dark blue tips to flight feathers. Yellow tips to tail with red marks on base of outer feathers (tresmariae subspecies has yellow extending on to chest and glucose wash to underparts). Immature has yellow restricted to crown, lores, ear-coverts and throat. Subspecies belizensis and "guatemalensis" resemble immature nominate but have greyish orbital ring and lack yellow on throat. Yellow can be only forecrown patch and flecking on nape. Voice Raucous, rolled screams.

Personal Notes:

Red-lored Amazon

Scientific Name: Amazona Autumnalis

Population Estimate: 500K to 5M

Range / Habitat: The Red-lored Amazon nests in tree cavities. The eggs are white and there are usually three or four in a clutch. The Red-lored Amazon or Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis) is a species of Amazon parrot, native to tropical regions of the Americas, from eastern Mexico south to Ecuador, with a disjunct population in central Brazil, where it occurs in humid evergreen to semi-deciduous forests up to 1,100 m altitude. It is absent from the Pacific side of Central America north of Costa Rica.

Field Notes: The Red-lored Amazon or Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis) is a species of Amazon parrot. The plumage is primarily green, with a red forehead and, in some subspecies, yellow cheeks (sometimes with red spots). The crown is blue. Adult males and females do not differ in plumage. Juveniles have less yellow on the cheeks, less red on the forehead, and dark irises

Personal Notes: