COBALT-RUMPED PARROTLET

TUIM (AS KNOWN IN BRAZIL)


Forpus xanthopterygius


Tiny, with a rounded appearance and a short tail, the Cobalt-Rumped Parrotlet is
the smallest bird in the parrot and parakeet family in Brazil. It measures 4,72
inches and weighs an average of 0,9 ounces. Cobalt-Rumped Parrolets are
generally green, with slightly more yellow-green tones on the lower parts. Males
have blue on the wing curve and the lower part of the back.
They are attracted to fruit trees such as mango trees, Brazilian grape trees, guava
trees, orange trees, and papaya trees. The coconuts of many palm trees constitute
their favorite food, and they also enjoy chewing on vegetation as a plant
supplement. They nest in tree hollows. They lay 3 to 8 eggs, which are incubated
by the female for 17 days. The chicks develop very rapidly and are fed by both the
male and female. By 20 days, they are covered in feathers and leave the nest by
the fourth or fifth week of life.
They live in flocks of up to 20 Cobalt-Rumped Parrotlets, and whenever they land,
they group together in pairs. They inhabit the edges of riverine forests, dry
forests, and Brazilian cerrado areas. Highly active, they move across large areas,
always with contact calls. Any novelty in their feeding area, nest, or roost is
quickly acknowledged by the group's alarm and contact vocalizations. They can be
found in the northeast, east, and south of Brazil.