Fun Yellow-crowned Parakeet Facts For Kids
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The yellow-crowned parakeet, Cyanoramphus auriceps, is a colorful member of the Psittacidae family. It is also commonly known as the yellow-fronted parakeet, the yellow-crowned kakariki, or simply the kakariki.
Its length ranges between 9-9.8 in (23-25 cm) and it weighs between 1.4-1.7 oz (41-51 g).
It is a small bird with a colorful appearance. It has a green coloration mainly and possesses a yellow crown, a characteristic crimson band in between its cere and its crown, a blue edge on each outer wing, a red-colored spot on each side of its rump, and a long tail.
This species is endemic to New Zealand and a few offshore islands. It can be seen frequenting beech forests where it is usually spotted in the upper canopy.
It builds a nest in holes in trees that are as high as 104.9 ft (32 m). It used to be common across New Zealand but is now rare in many mainland areas due to predation and habitat loss.
It is common in islands and valleys that are free from predators. It is a noisy parakeet that prefers to spend the majority of its day up high in the upper canopy of the forest. Its breeding season begins in October and goes on until December.
It is known to make high-pitched rapid chattering calls that are used to alert others of its presence. Keep reading to learn more facts about the typical yellow-crowned parakeet habitat, breeding, appearance, distribution, and more!
If you enjoyed reading our cool yellow-crowned parakeet facts, you must dive deeper into the avian world by checking out our Nanday parakeet fun facts and Jandaya parakeet surprising facts!
Yellow-crowned Parakeet Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a yellow-crowned parakeet?
The yellow-crowned parakeet, Cyanoramphus auriceps, is one of 170 colorful species of parakeets. They resemble red-crowned parakeets, orange-fronted parakeets, and Malherbe's parakeets. They are endemic to New Zealand and can be commonly spotted in the surrounding predator-free islands. These birds consume fruits, invertebrates, seeds, buds, insects, animal remains, and flowers.
What class of animal does a yellow-crowned parakeet belong to?
The yellow-fronted parakeet belongs to the class of Aves that comprises all species of birds.
How many yellow-crowned parakeets are there in the world?
These birds are prevalent in a few mainland forests and on offshore islands where there are no predators. Their population size is between 10,000-30,000 mature individuals. These birds become prevalent in west Otago as well as eastern Fiordland when beech trees seed heavily.
Where does a yellow-crowned parakeet live?
These birds can be spotted on the Chetwodes Islands and Titi Island, the Hen and Chickens, Little Barrier, Codfish Island, as well as the small islands of Fiordland and Stewart Island. They also occur on the Auckland Islands. These parakeets have also been introduced on Long Island, Motuara Island in Queen Charlotte Sound, and Mana Island successfully.
These birds were found abundantly across the forests of the main islands of New Zealand as well as offshore islands like the Auckland Islands. They still exist in the large forests of the three main islands.
However, the species does not exist in Mt Egmont, Northlands, and north Taranaki. It is common in the islands and valleys of west Otago as well as eastern Fiordland, as these areas are free from predators of the species.
What is a yellow-crowned parakeet's habitat?
The habitat of these parakeets comprises tall confined forests, open grasslands (Mana Island), and low scrubs. They are common in some mainland forests and on offshore islands. These birds spend much of their day sitting on trees up high and eating buds, seeds, and invertebrates.
They only fly down to the floor of the forest when they need to bathe or eat seeds. They have been observed to bathe themselves at water holes and springs.
These birds prefer to inhabit the upper canopies of unbroken tall stubs and forests. They have also been spotted at sub-Antarctic islands in high-altitude tussock meadows. Unlike the red-crowned parakeet, this species does not build its nest on the ground.
Who do yellow-crowned parakeets live with?
During the breeding season, these birds gather in pairs. But during the fall and winter, they can form small to large flocks.
How long does a yellow-crowned parakeet live?
These birds have lived up to 10 years in captivity. Their lifespan is 10-15 years.
How do they reproduce?
The breeding season of these birds begins in October and goes on until December. However, it is believed that this species breeds all year round if food is available in abundance.
Their breeding system is similar to that of the Kaka bird, as the female stays in the nest to incubate the eggs, while the male forages for food. These birds build their nest in holes in trees that are as high as 104.9 ft (32 m).
The female lays two to nine eggs that are incubated by her only while the male feeds her. After the chicks hatch he gives food to the female, who feeds it to the chicks.
What is their conservation status?
The yellow-fronted parakeet, Cyanoramphus auriceps, has a conservation status of Near Threatened as per the IUCN's Red List. It is preyed upon by possums, rats, and stoats while it is roosting or nesting in holes. As predation rates are high, their nesting success is quite low.
Yellow-crowned Parakeet Fun Facts
What do yellow-crowned parakeets look like?
Yellow-crowned parakeets are small birds that range between 9-9.8 in (23-25 cm) in length and between 1.4-1.7 oz (41-51 g) in weight.
Like green parakeets, yellow-crowned parakeets have a green coloration mainly and possess a striking yellow crown, a characteristic crimson band in between the cere and the crown, a blue edge on each of its outer wings, a red-colored spot on each side of its rump, and a long tail.
The bill of this bird is pale bluish-gray in color and has a black edge.
Their feet and legs are brown-black in color.
They have a colorful appearance and look quite similar to the red-crowned parakeet. They resemble orange-fronted parakeets too, however, the yellow-crowned parakeet possesses a brighter green coloration and a crimson band above its beak instead of an orange one.
They are quite similar in appearance to the Malherbe's parakeet too, apart from their bright green coloration and red frontal band.
How cute are they?
The small size of this species and its colorful plumage are enough to label it as the cutest bird out there!
How do they communicate?
This species is quite vocal and its presence can be detected by its calls, especially its chatter. It chatters while flying and is also known to make quieter calls. The distinctive yellow-crowned parakeet sound can be heard easily from a distance.
How big is a yellow-crowned parakeet?
The yellow-fronted parakeet ranges between 9-9.8 in (23-25 cm) in length and is slightly smaller in size when compared to the red-crowned parakeet.
How fast can a yellow-crowned parakeet fly?
These birds are strong fliers and they can fly above the upper canopy which is at a height of 104.9 ft (32 m)! They perform smooth rising and falling flights and their wingbeats are shallow. Their exact speed in-flight is not yet known.
How much does a yellow-crowned parakeet weigh?
The yellow-fronted parakeet weighs anywhere between the range of 1.4-1.7 oz (41-51 g).
What are their male and female names of the species?
Like all other bird species, females can be referred to as 'hens' and males as 'cocks'.
What would you call a baby yellow-crowned parakeet?
A baby of this species can be referred to as a young bird or a chick.
What do they eat?
These parakeets feed upon fruits, invertebrates, seeds, buds, insects, animal remains, and flowers. They are preyed upon by possums, rats, and stoats.
Are they dangerous?
No, this adorable species of parakeet is not at all dangerous.
Would they make a good pet?
Since these parakeets are classified as Near Threatened it wouldn't be suitable to keep them as pets. However, if their population stabilizes one day, they might make charming pets.
Did you know...
The meaning of the word 'parakeet' is 'long tail'!
Yellow-crowned parakeet vs red-crowned parakeet
The yellow-crowned parakeet is significantly smaller in size than the red-crowned parakeet. The yellow-crowned parakeet also possesses a characteristic yellow-colored patch on its head as well as a red frontal band situated right above its bill. On the other hand, the red-crowned parakeet possesses a vibrant red crown with a red band on each side, extending beyond its eyes.
Can yellow-crowned parakeets talk?
No, these birds cannot talk like humans. However, yellow-crowned Amazon parrots are renowned for their talking talents and their playful behavior.
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 sun parakeet surprising facts and green parakeet interesting facts!
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable yellow crowned parakeet coloring pages!
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