# Aratinga acuticaudata The Green-cheeked Parakeet is a colorful bird with a cheerful personality! They love to play and can even learn to talk a little. Their bright feathers make them look like little rainbows flying around. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Forests ![Aratinga acuticaudata](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Blue-crowned_Parakeet_%28Thectocercus_acuticaudatus%29_Pocon%C3%A9%252C_Mato_Grosso.jpg&width=800) Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue-crowned_Parakeet_%28Thectocercus_acuticaudatus%29_Pocon%C3%A9%252C_Mato_Grosso.jpg) ## Appearance The Aratinga acuticaudata has a vibrant green body and a distinctive blue crown, forehead, and cheeks. Its underparts are often yellowish-green, and it features a prominent white ring around its eyes. The tail is long with a reddish-brown tip, making it easily identifiable. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Psittaciformes - **Family:** Psittacidae - **Genus:** Aratinga ## Interesting facts - Blue-crowned Parakeets use their strong feet like hands to grasp and eat food. - Their powerful beaks can crack open the toughest nuts and seeds with ease. - These birds can live for over 25 years, sometimes even longer than your pet dog! - These parakeets are super social, often flying in loud, chattering flocks! ## Special abilities - **Clever Mimic:** Aratinga acuticaudata can mimic various sounds and even human words, which helps them communicate or learn. - **Nutcracker Beak:** Aratinga acuticaudata has a powerful hooked beak that helps them crack open tough nuts and seeds effortlessly. - **Acrobatic Flyer:** Aratinga acuticaudata can fly swiftly and agilely through dense forests, helping them escape predators and find food. - **Sure-footed Climber:** Aratinga acuticaudata uses its zygodactyl feet (two toes forward, two back) to grip branches firmly, helping them climb trees. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 35-40 cm - **Wingspan:** 60-70 cm - **Weight:** 0.16-0.23 kg - **Lifespan:** 20-30 years - **Speed:** 55 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 2-5 - **Incubation:** 24-28 days ## Diet & Feeding They feast on a variety of fruits, seeds, nuts, and flowers found in their tropical home. - **Primary Foods:** seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, flowers, leaf buds - **Foraging Method:** Foraging ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** Roadside Hawk (*Buteo magnirostris*) — A common raptor that preys on parakeets and other small birds. - **Eats:** [Fig Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/fig-tree) (*Ficus insipida*) — Consumes the tree's fruits, helping to disperse its seeds widely. - **Eats:** Nance Tree (*Byrsonima crassifolia*) — Feeds on the small, yellow, plum-like fruits of this tropical tree. - **Eats:** Moriche Palm (*Mauritia flexuosa*) — Eats the fruits of this large palm, especially in wetland habitats. ## Traits - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material. - [Tool Use](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/tool-use): This trait describes organisms that manipulate external objects to achieve a specific goal. - [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life. - [Longevous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/longevous): This trait characterizes organisms with an exceptionally long lifespan compared to others of their kind. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always watch birds from a distance and never try to touch them in the wild. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Aratinga acuticaudata? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Aratinga acuticaudata? 35-40 cm ### What is Aratinga acuticaudata's wingspan? 60-70 cm ### How much does Aratinga acuticaudata weigh? 0.16-0.23 kg ### How long does Aratinga acuticaudata live? 20-30 years ### How fast can Aratinga acuticaudata move? 55 km/h ### What does Aratinga acuticaudata eat? They feast on a variety of fruits, seeds, nuts, and flowers found in their tropical home. ### Where is Aratinga acuticaudata usually found? Forests ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Aratinga acuticaudata: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/aratinga-acuticaudata)