The Brown-hooded Parrot
by Robert Alison
Photos by Nicholas Leicht
The Brown-hooded Parrot (Pyrilia haematotis) is a fairly typical New World psittacid, typical because its ecology is largely shrouded in mystery. For reasons that are not clear, it is becoming increasingly rare and elusive in its core range.
Preliminary, and largely anecdotal, information suggests it occupies a range of about 1.2 million square kilometres, including Costa Rica, Belize, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Despite its broad distribution, the species has been poorly researched. Its current population estimate is 50,000, but that is no better than a guess.