Hawk-headed parrots inhabit a large range of South American rainforests in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Regionally, they are divided into two subspecies, the accipitrinus north of the Amazon River and the fuscifrons south of the Amazon River. The accipitrinus are commonly known as blue-crowned hawk-heads, with fuscifrons commonly known as Brazilian hawk-heads.
Hawk-Headed Parrots The Hawk-Headed Parrot possesses elongated neck feathers that can be raised into an elaborate fan, which greatly increases the bird’s external size and can be used when threatened. It usually lives in quiet forests, eating fruit in the canopy. It has a dark brown face with white streaks, bare black patches around the brown eyes, green wings, flanks and tail, and a red and blue striped chest.
Hawk Headed Parrots are part of the Psittacidae family. Members of the family Psittacidae have zygodactyl feet. They also have hard, hook-shaped beaks, with the upper jaw attached to the skull and the lower jaw located underneath. Extremely strong tongue muscles allow them to manipulate food in their mouth. The Hawk Headed Parrot is a colorful bird. Its back, wings, and tail are green, and its chest, abdomen, vent, and base of the neck are covered with gray and red feathers, edged in blue. The underside of the tail feathers is black. The bird’s forehead is creamy white mixed with brown. When scared or excited, Hawk Headed parrots can raise their nape feathers, forming a fan on their head. This display plumage is unique among New World parrots. Adults have yellow eyes, gray beaks and black legs, while juveniles have brown eyes and light-colored beaks. Hawk Headed parrots are often seen perched on tall, bare tree branches, showing off their long tails and colorful plumage. Males and females lack sexual dimorphism, meaning they look identical.
