Orange-fronted Parakeet

The orange-fronted parakeet is 23 to 25 cm (9.1 to 9.8 in) long and weighs 68 to 80 g (2.4 to 2.8 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies E. c. canicularis have an orange-peach forehead (the "front") and lores, a dull blue midcrown, and a dull green hindcrown, nape, and back. A ring of bare yellow skin surrounds the eyes. Their throat and breast are pale olive brown and the rest of their underparts are yellowish green. Their wings are green with bluish flight feathers. The top surface of their tail is green and the bottom surface is yellowish. Immatures are like adults, but with much less orange on the forehead. Subspecies E. c. clarae has a very narrow orange forehead band, a greener throat and breast than the nominate, and a black spot on the mandible. E. c. eburnirostrum also has a narrow forehead band and is greener below than the nominate; it has a brown spot on the mandible.

The subspecies of the orange-fronted parakeet are found thus:

E. c. clarae, western Mexico from Sinaloa and Durango south to Michoacán E. c. eburnirostrum, southwestern Mexico from Michoacán to Oaxaca E. c. canicularis, Pacific coast from Chiapas in southern Mexico through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua into northwestern Costa Rica; introduced to Puerto Rico The orange-fronted parakeet inhabits a variety of landscapes, most of them semiopen to open. These include the edges of forest, deciduous woodlands, Pacific swamp forest, savanna, and thorn scrub. It also occurs in pastures with scattered trees and plantations of palms and fruiting trees such as mangoes and bananas. It is primarily a bird of lowlands and foothills, but ranges as high as 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level.

The orange-fronted parakeet feeds on fruits (e.g. Ficus), flowers (e.g. Gliricidia), and seeds (e.g. Ceiba). The large wandering flocks "can cause serious damage to young maize and ripening bananas."

The orange-fronted parakeet (more commonly known as the half-moon conure in aviculture) is sometimes kept as a companion parrot. An excitable, energetic bird that enjoys climbing and playing, it tends to be quieter than some other conure species and is good-natured when properly socialized. It is not noted as a talking bird, but may mimic a few words or sounds. To remain healthy, it requires regular mental stimulation and time outside of its cage in which to fly.