Bird GuideAfrican and New World ParrotsRed-masked Parakeet

Red-masked Parakeet

Red-masked Parakeet
Psittacara erythrogenys
At a Glance Range & Identification Back to Top

At a Glance

This colorful, long-tailed parrot is native to northwestern South America, where it lives mainly in dry forests of western Ecuador and southwestern Peru. Escaped cagebirds have established feral populations around San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, California, and locally in Florida. Often they are found in mixed flocks with the similar Mitred Parakeet. In the United States these parakeets are seen mostly around exotic plantings in city parks and suburbs, not in wild habitats.
All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Perching Birds
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Forests and Woodlands, Urban and Suburban Habitats
Behavior
Direct Flight

Range & Identification

Description

13" (33 cm). A large green parakeet with a long, pointed tail. Adults have extensive red on the crown, face, and throat, and conspicuous red on the leading edge of the wing and on the underwing coverts. Similar to Mitred Parakeet but a little smaller and with more red. Young birds of both species show less red than adults.
Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Crow
Color
Green, Red, Yellow
Wing Shape
Pointed
Tail Shape
Long, Pointed

Songs and Calls

Harsh, high-pitched wreek, often repeated.
Call Type
Harsh, Raucous, Scream