Short-tailed Parrot Graydidascalus brachyurus Scientific name definitions

The Short-tailed Parrot is the sole member of its genus and is endemic to the Amazon Basin. Its main habitat is seasonally flooded varzea forest and other swampy habitats that occur along large rivers in the Amazonian basin, though it also occurs in mangroves along the Atlantic coast. It is common to abundant in the eastern portions of its range, but become less so in the western Amazon, presumably due the narrowing of the river basins. It feeds in the canopy on a wide range of fruits, especially Ficus, but is most often seen flying by its distinctive halting style over or along rivers.

24 cm; 188–233 g. Green  , paler and more yellowish on underparts and uppertail-coverts; primaries  darker green; wing-coverts edged yellow  ; short tail  basally banded red on outer feathers; bill light green to olivaceous to dark grey; eye orange-red, with indistinct dark line in front and behind. Immature lacks red in tail.

SE Colombia (E from W Caquetá), NE Ecuador and E Peru through Amazon Basin to NE French Guiana and Brazil N of Amazon Delta.

Seasonally flooded várzea forest and secondary growth in other swampy habitats on islands and in floodplains along larger rivers, edges of mangroves at coasts, penetrating man-made habitats at times (e.g. cultivations, with a record of a roost tree in a town street); lowlands to 400 m.

Fruits including Ficus  , cultivated guava (Psidium guajava) and mango  (Mangifera indica), seeds, nuts, berries, in particular Cecropia catkins; tubers found in one stomach.

Flight call is a rather high-pitched rolling “kree-ki-ki”. When perched, has a large variety of ‘conversational’ calls , most of them rather loud and harsh, and Amazona-like. Overall rather noisy.

Birds with partly developed gonads in Sept, E Brazil. No other information.