Burrowing Parrot

Burrowing Parrot

Description

The Burrowing Parrot (also called Burrowing Parakeet or Patagonian Conure) is a medium-sized parrot measuring 40–45 cm long and weighing around 250–300 g. Its plumage is mostly olive-brown to olive-green, with a grey breast crossed by a paler band, a yellow belly, and a striking red-orange patch on the lower belly and undertail. It has a grey bill, a white eye-ring, and a long, pointed tail.

Habitat

This species lives in the southern part of South America, across the open grasslands, savannas, and dry scrublands of Argentina and central Chile, extending into Patagonia. Colonies are often tied to sandstone or limestone cliffs where the birds can excavate their nesting burrows.

Diet

It is mainly a plant-eater, feeding on seeds, grain, fruits, berries, and the buds of shrubs, occasionally taking insects and larvae, especially when raising chicks. Large flocks frequently descend on farmland crops such as sunflowers and cereals, which makes them unpopular with farmers in some regions.

Reproduction

Burrowing Parrots are colonial nesters, gathering in groups of dozens to hundreds of pairs. They dig long tunnels, sometimes several metres deep, into vertical sandy or rocky cliff faces, at the end of which the female lays a clutch of 2–5 eggs. Incubation lasts about 24–26 days, and both parents care for the young, which leave the nest after roughly eight weeks.

Lifespan

In the wild these parrots typically live around 10–15 years, while in human care they can reach 25–30 years.

Did you know?

One colony at El Cóndor on Argentina's Atlantic coast is considered the largest parrot colony in the world, with tens of thousands of nesting pairs riddling the cliffs with burrows.