Pionus maximiliani
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The scaly-headed parrot (Pionus maximiliani) is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is also called scaly-headed pionus, Maximilian pionus, Maximilian parrot, Maximilian's pionus, or Maximilian's parrot. It is found in Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay.
The scaly-headed parrot and the red-billed parrot (P. sordidus) are sister species. The species' specific epithet is a reference to Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, a nobleman and naturalist who explored the hinterlands of southeastern Brazil in the early 19th century.
In Brazil, the scaly-headed parrot is called cocotas or maritacas (from mbaé'taka, tupi for "noisy bird"). The scaly-headed parrot is 25 to 29 cm (9.8 to 11 in) long and weighs 233 to 293 g (8.2 to 10 oz). Adults of the nominate subspecies P. m. maximiliani have a blackish brown forehead and mid-crown. Their rest of their head, their nape, and their upper back are dark greenish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serra dos Órgãos National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Iguazú National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Itatiaia National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 8 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 3 | Belo Horizonte | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Campinas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 9 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Zoobotanic Park of Brusque | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | São Paulo Zoo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Zoo das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Parque Ecológico de São Carlos | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Parque Zoológico Bosque Guarani | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Avifauna | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Agroflori Parque de las Aves | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 9 | Zoológico do Município de São Bernardo do Campo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Exotic Animal World | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-headed Parrot sighting in Iguazú National Park on a given day, based on 2,293 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 343 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Scaly-headed Parrot in Iguazú National Park on a given day, against about 30% in November to February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Scaly-headed Parrot sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Scaly-headed Parrot sightings, Iguazú National Park ranks 3rd at about 40%. The best odds are in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 60%) and Iguaçu National Park (Brazil, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Psittacidae
The closest relatives of the Scaly-headed Parrot that you can see in Iguazú National Park (family Psittacidae, New World and African Parrots) are White-eyed Parakeet (about 40%), Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (about 20%) and Monk Parakeet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Scaly-headed Parrot is recorded against all the birds logged in Iguazú National Park (2,293 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
