The Socorro parakeet is 31 to 33 cm (12 to 13 in) long. The sexes are alike. It is essentially all green with a somewhat olive tinge to the underside of the flight feathers and tail. Its iris is orange-red surrounded by bare purplish brown skin, its bill horn colored, and its legs brownish.[2][7]
Distribution and habitat
The Socorro parakeet is found only on Socorro Island off the western coast of Mexico. It inhabits forests dominated by Bumelia socorrensis, Ilex socorroensis, and Guettarda insularis, and is usually found at elevations above 500 m (1,600 ft).[2]
One study found that about half of the Socorro parakeet's diet was seeds and fruit pulp of Bumelia socorrensis with those of Ilex socorrensis, Guettarda insularis, and Psidium making up most of the rest.[2][8]
Breeding
The Socorro parakeet breeds between October and January. It typically nests in a cavity in a Bumelia socorrensis tree about 2.3 to 3.8 m (8 to 10 ft) above the ground.[2]
The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy and so has not assessed the Socorro parakeet separately from the green parakeet. It does note that as a subspecies it is "regarded as highly threatened".[9] The species is threatened by habitat destruction by sheep and predation by feral cats. In 2006 and 2007 its population was estimated at about 300 individuals, a decrease from estimates in the early 1990s of 400 to 500.[9][2] It may meet the criteria for a Vulnerable or Endangered species.[10]
^ abcdefghCollar, N., G. M. Kirwan, C. J. Sharpe, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Socorro Parakeet (Psittacara brevipes), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grnpar2.01 retrieved April 5, 2023
^ abGill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
^Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022
^Eitniear, J. C., N. Collar, C. J. Sharpe, and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Green Parakeet (Psittacara holochlorus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.grnpar.01 retrieved April 5, 2023
^Rodríguez-Estrella, R., Mata, E. and Rivera, L. (1992). Ecological notes on the Green Parakeet of Isla Socorro, Mexico. Condor. 94(2): 523–525
^Martínez-Gómez, J. E., Matías-Ferrer, N., & Escalante-Pliego, P. (2017). Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Socorro parakeet (Psittacara holochlorus brevipes): Recent speciation with minor morphological differentiation. Journal of Ornithology, 158(4), 965–978. doi:10.1007/s10336-017-1465-4
