HORNED PARAKEET Eunymphicus cornutus ©Lars Petersson
This medium-sized parrot lives in humid pine forests, rainforest and laurel forest habitats, but will accept scrublands or savannah.
Its most striking feature is a two-feather black crest, with the crest feathers tipped in red.
Small family groups, or pairs, will forage in the canopy for their diet of nuts and seeds.
Horned parakeets will nest either on or near the ground, and also in hollowed-out logs, or nest hollows in dead trees. Uncommon among parrots, horned parakeets have been reported nest-sharing. The number of eggs laid is usually 2–4. Incubation lasts 21–22 days and the time from hatching to fledging is approximately 5 to 6 weeks.
Main threats to the horned parakeet are the black rat, the wildcat, the introduced Rusa deer, logging, La Nina (wet) years, and Psittacine beak and feather disease, a severe virus which is known to affect ~42 species of parrots. Humans poaching the birds for local trade is rare, because the birds' nests are difficult to find, and more importantly, there are no ingrained local customs regarding keeping birds as pets. source
Photo below: ©Joel Sartore/PhotoArk
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