Abstract
Relatively unknown 10 years ago, parrotlets are rapidly becoming one of the most popular parrots in aviculture. They are also one of world's smallest with only the African Pigmy Parrot being smaller. Being true parrots, they are most closely related to the large Amazons. Often confused with the Brotogerls genus, parrotlets can be distinguished by being considerably smaller and having short, wedge-shaped tails. There are three different genera of parrotlets: Touit, Nannopstttaca and Porpus, all of which are found in either Mexico or South and Central America. Since only Forpus parrotlets are available in the United States, no further mention will be made of the other two genera.These tiny parrots are various shades of green with patches of yellow, gray and blue which identify the species. All parrotlets are sexually dimorphic. Identification of the male of a species is made upon the particular shade and location of blue he possesses. The females are more difficult to identify so close attention must be paid to small details such as subtle changes in the shades as well as the distribution of yellow and green feathers.
The Pacific or Celestial Parrotlet Forpus coelestis is the most well-known and popular species of parrotlet. They are approximately 5 in. in length and weigh 30 g. In the wild, they are found from western Ecuador to north-western Peru. The males have a cobalt-blue streak of feathers extending from the eye as well as cobalt-blue on the rump and wings. Many females also have an eye streak as well although...