Fun Bald Parrot Facts For Kids

 A bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is a unique type of parrot belonging to the family of true parrots, Psittacidae. These birds are a relatively newly discovered parrot species endemic to the Amazon forest.

This bird inhabits the moist lowlands in the tropical forests of the eastern and central parts of the Amazon forest. This parrot was thought to be related to the species of vulturine parrots although they had an orange, bald head as opposed to the black head of vulturine parrots.

These birds were thought to be the juveniles of the vulturine parrot. Later scientists found out that these individuals were sexually mature and had the characteristics to form an entirely new species.

In reality, the juveniles of both species appear quite similar to each other but different from adult individuals. They have feathered green heads, which is unlike the black and orange color of the respective adult species.

In bald parrots, the orange coloration of the head is prominent as the feathers of their head do not appear, even if the individuals are sexually mature.

These bare head distinct parrots were recently named bald parrot because of their featherless nape and head. This bird is also known as the orange-headed parrot because of the orange coloration of their head.

To know more interesting facts about the ball parrot, keep on reading these amazing facts.For similar content check out New Zealand parrot and dusky parrot facts too.

Bald Parrot Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a bald parrot?

A bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is a type of parrot.

What class of animal does a bald parrot belong to?

Like the species of Amazon parrot, the bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) of Psittaciformes order and Psittacidae family belong to the class Aves, the common class for all birds.

How many bald parrots are there in the world?

The bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is a relatively newly identified species of the Psittacidae family. As a result, information regarding the population size is quite scarce and unclear.

It is believed that there are around 6,700 mature birds present throughout the currently determined range of the bald parrot. This equates to an approximate evaluation of the total population to be around 10,000 birds.

Only a small part of their range has been discovered yet and there is much unknown information about this bird. There is a chance that they might have a much higher population than the current value. However, their population is suspected to decrease as they are losing suitable habitats to habitat loss.

Where does a bald parrot live?

Due to late discovery, the bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is only known to live in two types of habitats and therefore they have an extremely small range.

They are found in a very small area encompassing only a few localities of the Amazonian region of Brazil, mainly in the eastern and central parts of the forest. This species of the bald parrot inhabits the upper part of the Tapajos River, Teles Pires River, and the lower basin of the Madeira River in Brazil.

Records of this bird from a few more localities are expected as these birds have now gained formal recognition as an individual species.

What is a bald parrot's habitat?

A bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) primarily inhabits humid and tropical rainforests. They occur in the tropical moist lowland areas of the Amazon Rainforest. Apart from that, this species of bald parrot are also found in gallery forests, Campinarana forests, and forests made up of white-sand soils.

Who do bald parrots live with?

The bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is a social bird that tends to live together by forming flocks with other parrots of the same type.

How long does a bald parrot live?

The lifespan of all species of true parrots differs widely. The bald parrot's lifespan is unknown since they are comparatively a new species and there is very little information regarding them.

How do they reproduce?

There is no information regarding the specific breeding habits of the species of bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala). Like the vulturine parrot and kea parrot, they might also reproduce by laying eggs although there is no information regarding the litter size of the species.

In general, female parrots lay two to eight eggs. In reality, juveniles look different from adult bald parrots.

What is their conservation status?

The bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is listed as a Near Threatened species in the IUCN Red List. In their known range, bald parrots have a moderately small population. Habitat loss due to logging and deforestation act as a major threat to the small population of the bald parrot.

Bald Parrot Fun Facts

What do bald parrots look like?

The body of a bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is mostly green with a bluish tint on the belly. The upper part of the wing is green in color while the edges are bordered by dark blue.

It has a bald orange head that makes them look distinct from all the other species of parrot. For this reason, they are also called the orange-headed parrot. The juvenile species have feathered greenish heads, unlike their adult counterparts.

How cute are they?

A bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is colorful and bright which makes it look cute.

How do they communicate?

The bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) communicates by making a 'skee-skee-skee' sound.

How big is a bald parrot?

The average length of a bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is measured to be 9 in (23 cm). They are similar in size to the species of Meyer's parrot.

How fast can a bald parrot move?

The speed of a bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) has not been determined.

How much does a bald parrot weigh?

The weight of a bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) is unknown.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male and the female species of the bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala) are referred to as cock and hen respectively.

What would you call a baby bald parrot?

A baby of a parrot is called a chick.

What do they eat?

There is no information regarding the eating habits and foraging techniques of the bald parrot (Pyrilia aurantiocephala). In general, parrots eat flowers, fruit, seeds, and insects.

Are they dangerous?

Parrots as a species are not dangerous. However, there is little information regarding bald parrots and whether they possess any threat.

Would they make a good pet?

There is no recorded instance of domesticating a bald parrot.

Did you know...

The bald parrot bird was initially believed to be a member of the species of vulturine parrot. However, their separate flocking behavior with their specific type was also considered to be a key factor that contributed to the discovery for them to emerge as a different species.

How is a bald parrot different from other parrots?

Bald parrots can be differentiated from other parrots by their bare head and nape. The absence of feathers around their head and the crown reveals the orange color.

However, they were confused with another similar bare-headed parrot called the vulturine parrot. These birds were differentiated from the vulturine by their orange bald head which is different from the blackhead of vulturines.

Do bald parrots talk?

Whether the recently discovered species of bald parrot bird can talk or not is unknown. They are mostly found in the wild so there is a chance that they still have not been trained to talk.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these limpkin facts and common snipe facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable true parrot coloring pages. 

* Please note that the main image is of a brown-headed parrot that belongs to the same genus as the bald parrot. If you have an image of a bald parrot please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.