White-winged Parakeet

About the White-winged Parakeet

The white-winged parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus), or canary-winged parakeet is a small parrot native to the Amazon River basin from southeast Colombia to the rivers mouth in Brazil. Caged birds have been released and the birds have established self-sustaining populations in Lima, Peru, Los Angeles, and Miami, Florida areas of the United States, and in Puerto Rico. They were also present in San Francisco, California until the mid-2000s. Although feral birds are showing some recent declines as nesters in the United States, they seem to be doing well in their native habitat.

The white-winged parakeet typically is 22 cm in length, and is mostly green in color. It has a trailing yellow edge on its folded wings. Its most distinguished characteristic is the white wing patches most noticed when the bird is in flight. It is closely related to the yellow-chevroned parakeet, and the two have often been considered conspecific.

In captivity, these are charming birds that often have a close relationship with their human handlers. They enjoy spending time in physical contact with their owners, often riding around on shoulders or nesting in hair. They can have... Wikipedia →