First Sighting of the Brown-Breasted Parakeet in Huila, an Endemic Colombian Species

The Regional Autonomous Corporation of Alto Magdalena (CAM) has confirmed the first official record of the Pyrrhura calliptera—known locally as the yellow-winged parakeet and standardly in English as the brown-breasted parakeet—in the department of Huila, specifically within the municipality of Colombia. With this discovery, Huila reaches 759 documented bird species, reinforcing its strategic position in Andean biodiversity.

Ornithological Milestone in the Alto Magdalena Region

CAM’s technical team validated the presence of the brown-breasted parakeet in northern Huila, near the borders with the departments of Cundinamarca and Meta. Although there are reports of the species in other areas of the country, the department of Huila lacked scientific evidence of its presence until now.

Sebastián Betancourth, an ornithologist with the environmental agency, confirmed that the bird is an endemic species native to the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains. The Pyrrhura calliptera is currently listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, making this data a critical asset for regional conservation plans.

Citizen Science and Conservation

The successful recording of bird number 759 did not depend exclusively on academia. The intervention of Eliseo Ortigoza, a local resident, was decisive; he guided the monitoring effort utilizing his empirical knowledge of the terrain. This case demonstrates the effectiveness of involving the local population in scientific processes.

Betancourth urged for the further strengthening of environmental education to encourage the community to move away from practices such as deforestation and to adopt more environmentally friendly agricultural and production systems.

Sources and references

• cam.gov.co