- "Red-winged parrotlet" redirects here, but see text for details.
(Sclater & Salvin, 1871)
The blue-fronted parrotlet (Touit dilectissimus) is also known as the red-winged parrotlet (but see below). It is a parrot in N. South America from E. Panama down the west coastal Andes to Peru, with a second population around and south of Lake Maracaibo. It is 15 cm, green with a short tail, blue forehead with narrow band of red under eye, red shoulders and leading edge of underwing, and the remaining underwing coverts yellow. Edges of tail also yellowish.
Usually found in humid, wet, and cloud forest from 800-1600m, it is occasionally spotted as low as 100m. Little known, as it is hard to see in the canopy where it usually lives and is most often seen while flying over the canopy.
The red-fronted parrotlet (T. costaricensis) is, especially in older sources like ITIS, included in the red-winged parrotlet. Most modern authors consider them two species. Strictly speaking, the term "red-winged parrotlet" refers to the T. costaricensis - dilectissimus clade.
Juniper & Parr (1998) Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World; ISBN 0-300-07453-0.
- World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profile