Blue-headed Parrot

How to find it

Think edges first, and scan clearings, roadsides and farmland rather than deep forest. A guide in the southern Caribbean lowlands found one on a morning along Paradise Road, where roads pass through more intact habitat. Listen for harsh calls overhead, because the birds go quiet once they land to feed. Look high on tall treetops too: on a March tour, guides spotted a pair perched at the top of a tree on a hillside, seen from the bus on the way to Braulio Carrillo. Early morning from the grounds of a hotel at Puerto Viejo in the south Caribbean has also produced many parrots before breakfast.

How to recognise it

In the field it often looks all dark, apart from a reddish patch on the bill and red feathers under the tail. Good light and a closer look reveal the rest.

Adults show:

- a bright blue head and neck

- pinkish red on the throat

- a black ear patch

- a mostly green body

It is a medium-sized parrot, about 27 cm long. Young birds have a green head and neck with blue scaling on the crown and nape, so a green-headed bird in a flock may simply be a juvenile. When an adult is perched, the blue head makes it unmistakable.

What it sounds like

Recording: Fundacion ProAves, CC BY-SA 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

Blue-headed Parrots form flocks that are much smaller than those of the White-crowned Parrot. They breed in the dry season.

Across their range they often gather in large communal roosts, and small flocks leave the roosts to feed during the day. Birds often travel some distance to a roost, flying fast and strongly over the treetops, and at dawn and dusk large numbers can be seen arriving in palms and other trees.

Where it lives

The species lives in the forest canopy but prefers forest edges, open spots, secondary growth, tree crops and farmland with isolated forest patches. It is an edge bird more than a deep forest one.

In Costa Rica it is resident in the Caribbean lowlands from around Limón and Siquirres southward. It is also found around the Golfo Dulce and reaches north to Piedras Blancas National Park. It occasionally climbs to about 1200 m in the San Vito region. On the Osa Peninsula it is still rare and only sporadic.

Similar birds

The White-crowned Parrot (Pionus senilis) is a close relative that also occurs in Costa Rica and forms much larger flocks. The two fly with the same deep wingbeats. The Blue-headed has a darker head and bill and more abrupt calls, which helps separate them in flight.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

In Costa Rica the species goes by two Spanish names, Chucuyo and Loro Cabeciazul. The White-crowned Parrot is also called Chucuyo, so the name alone does not tell the two apart.

Status and conservation

Listed as a resident (R) on the AOCR list, rated Least Concern by the IUCN overall, with a range that is expanding quickly on the Pacific side.

Photography tips

Because the birds go quiet once they land to feed, a silent tree can still hold parrots, so scan treetops after the calls fade. Perched birds on high tops are the best chance to show the blue head, since in flight the bird often looks all dark.