Mexican Parrotlet, Forpus cyanopygius

Mexican Parrotlet, Forpus cyanopygius cyanopygius, Females. Photographs taken within the greater Alamos area, Alamos, Sonora, December 2017. Photographs and identifications courtesy of David F Smith, Alamos, Sonora.

Background and Identification

The Mexican Parrotlet, Forpus cyanopygius cyanopygius, is one of two subspecies of Mexican Parrotlet, both of which is found in Mexico. They are a member of the Psittacidae Family of New World and African Parrots, that has one hundred seventy-five members placed in thirty-seven genera, and one of nine global members of the Forpus Genus. They are also known as the Mexican Blue-rumped Parrotlet and the Turquoise-rumped Parrotlet and in Mexico as cotorrita Mexicana.

The Mexican Parrotlet is relatively small in stature. They are green above with turquoise-blue in the lower back, rump, secondary coverts, outer secondaries and underwing coverts. The face and undersides of the males are grass-green with blue tinges. The females are similarly colored are grass-green face and undersides with yellowish-green tinges. They have a short square tail.

Habitat and Geographical Range

The Mexican Parrotlet is found in riparian woods and semideciduous to deciduous forest, riparian woodlands, plantations, and secondary forests at elevations up to 1,400 m (4,600 feet). They are generally non-migratory but will wander following food sources. They are normally found in pairs or flocks. They are difficult to see as they are small in stature and blend in well with tree leaves, but announce their presence by screeching and twittering calls. They are fast in fight usually in tight formation. They consume the fruits of Ficus, berries and grass seeds foraged from the ground. The Mexican Parrotlet has been poorly studied and very little about their biology and behavioral patterns has been documented.

Common Misidentifications

The Mexican Parrotlet is ENDEMIC to northwest Mexico found along the Pacific Slope from southeast Sonora to Colima and on Tres Marías Island. The cyanopygius subspecies is found from southeast Sonora to Colima.

Conservation Status

From a conservation perspective the Mexican Parrotlet is currently considered to be Near Threatened which is largely attributed to its limited range. They are also heavily targeted by the illegal cagebird trade and are the second most captured parrot species in Mexico with approximately 10,000 individuals captured illegally annually which has caused a significant contraction of the known range of the species as well.