White-Eyed Parakeet
Aratinga leucophthalma
Also known as: White-Eyed Conure
Habitat
Mid-canopy
Diet
PlantSeed
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
158 g
About This Species
Look for noisy, fast-flying flocks of this green parakeet with a distinctive pale eye-ring moving between fruiting trees and palm groves across much of South America, often roosting communally in large numbers at dusk. It forages in the mid canopy on fruit, seeds and blossoms and is usually detected by its harsh, chattering calls well before it is seen. Dusk gatherings at communal roost trees are one of the most reliable and dramatic ways to see large numbers at once.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watch roosts and feeding flocks from a distance rather than approaching the trees directly, since large disturbed flocks can abandon a roost site.
- Wildlife protection law and trade restrictions vary considerably among the many South American countries in its range, so avoid assuming any one country's regulations apply throughout.
- Because parrots are frequently targeted for the pet trade, never attempt to catch, feed by hand or otherwise habituate wild birds.
Seasonal Activity
230,576 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
Traits
- Diet
- PlantSeed
- Foraging
- Mid-canopy
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 158 g
Photo
(c) Eric Carpenter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Eric Carpenter
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.