The Story
I photographed this Spectacled Parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus) at Hacienda Guadalajara in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is not found above about 1,600 meters. It prefers open habitat to dense forest. In the wild it feeds on seeds, nuts, leaves, berries, cactus and other fruits. It nests in tree cavities, often using old holes made by other birds. It lives in small flocks, but up to 100 may gather at clay licks. The female incubates while the male guards the nest and feeds her and, later, the chicks. Palmira lies on the east bank of the Cauca River and is a center of the valley’s large sugar mills.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/1000 sec, f/5.6, ISO 1600. IUCN lists the Spectacled Parrotlet as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Spectacled Parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus) belongs to the family Psittacidae (New World and African Parrots) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as decreasing. Source: IUCN Red List