Bird of the day
Red-cheeked parrot
Geoffroyus geoffroyi
The red-cheeked parrot (Geoffroyus geoffroyi) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the tip of northern Queensland, Australia. There are 17 subspecies currently recognized. It is a stocky short-tailed parrot with predominantly green plumage. It exhibits sexual dimorphism; the adult male has red cheeks and a mauve nape and top of head, while the female is duller with a brown head.
Both the male and female red-cheeked parrot have predominantly bright green plumage and a stocky body with a short tail. The adult male has pink-tinged red cheeks and face with a blue-mauve back of head and crown, chestnut wing coverts, blue under wing, and a coral-pink upper mandible. The female has a brown head and more olive-brown cheeks and throat, and all brown-grey bill. Juveniles also have the olive tinge, but their heads are more green. All red-cheeked parrots have yellow eyes. Their beaks are designed for eating seeds and fruit. Their swift and direct flight pattern is distinct and similar to that of a starling. Their call is "metallic". Typical body dimensions are: height 250 mm (9.8 in), length 203 mm (8.0 in), and wing span 135 to 155 mm (5.3–6.1 in).
Aliases
Geoffroyus geoffroyi