Pionus senilis
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The white-crowned parrot (Pionus senilis), also known as the white-crowned pionus in aviculture, is a small parrot which is a resident breeding species ranging from eastern Mexico to western Panama. It is found in lowlands and foothills locally up to 1600 m altitude in forest canopy and edges, and adjacent semi-open woodland and second growth. The 3 to 6 white eggs are laid in an unlined nest, usually a natural cavity in a tree or a hollow palm stub.
The white-crowned parrot is 24 cm long and weighs 220 g. The adult male has a white forehead and crown, the feature which, likened to an old man's white hair, gave rise to the specific name senilis. The throat is white, and the rest of the head, neck and breast are dull dark blue. The belly is light green, and the upper parts are dark green, with a yellow-olive shoulder patch. In flight, the blue underwings and red vent are conspicuous features. The female white-crowned parrot is similar to the male, but the blue plumage fades into scaling on the lower breast and the shoulder patch is duller. Young birds have little blue on the head and neck or red on the undertail, and the crown feathers are green edged with white. The extent of the area of white on the head gives no indication of sex, as there can be considerable variance in individuals.
The white-crowned parrot feeds in social flocks of 10–50 birds, which may wander outside the breeding range once nesting has finished. It feeds on various seeds, nuts and fruits, and can be a pest in crops of corn or sorghum, and commercial fruit plantations. It can be unobtrusive when feeding since they are usually silent, keeping to the canopy. However, at rest it often perches conspicuously at the top of an unopened palm frond. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parc zoologique de Montpellier | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Terra Natura Benidorm | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Zoológico Benito Juárez | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Zoológico la pastroa | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Loro Parque | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Monkeyland | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Parque del pueblo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 10 | Wamerú zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 11 | Macaw mountain bird park | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 12 | Birds of Eden | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 13 | Castellar Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Centro de Rescate Las Pumas | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 15 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Parrot sighting in Los Quetzales National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 195th most-seen of the 252 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-crowned Parrot in Los Quetzales National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-crowned 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.
31st of 31
Of the 31 parks where we can rate White-crowned Parrot sightings, Los Quetzales National Park ranks 31st at under 5%. The best odds are in Cusuco National Park (Honduras, about 50%), Tikal National Park (Guatemala, about 30%) and Pico Bonito National Park (Honduras, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Psittacidae
The closest relatives of the White-crowned Parrot that you can see in Los Quetzales National Park (family Psittacidae, New World and African Parrots) are Sulphur-winged Parakeet (about 40%) and Barred Parakeet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-crowned Parrot is recorded against all the birds logged in Los Quetzales National Park (19 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.
