Horned Parakeet

Horned Parakeet

Eunymphicus cornutus

IUCN red list status:
Vulnerable

For more information, please visit iucnredlist.org

Horned Parakeet

About the Horned Parakeet

The Horned Parakeet is found only in the humid pine forests of New Caledonia. This bird grows to just over 30 cm long; the females are typically smaller than the males. They have two black feathers with a red apex that sticks out from the head. It has a length that ranges from 12.5 to 13 inches. Its plumage is mainly green, and the rest of its body is yellowish-green. 

Parrots are usually monogamous, which means they often stay with their breeding partner year-round, and won’t stray even when they join a larger flock. The females also sometime nest share - where two females incubate their eggs in the same nest at the same time. Small groups or pairs will madly search for food in the canopy. They normally look for seeds and nuts, as they are almost entirely vegetarian.

Did you know?

Horned Parakeets are beautifully colourful birds and are easily recognisable by their two-distinctive wispy black crest feathers, essentially providing them with their scientific name ‘cornutus’ meaning ‘horned’. The crest is unique in parrots in that it is non-moveable.