Maximilian's Pionus

Maximilian's pionus, or the scaly-headed parrot, is a medium South American parrot. Pionus maximiliani gets its checklist name from the grey-edged feathers that make its head look scaly. It lives in dry forest, caatinga and the Chaco, and in more humid woodland up to 2000 m, across Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina, in four subspecies that differ mainly in the color of the throat band. Adults are about 29 cm long and weigh 233 to 293 g. They are dull green with bronze-brown underparts, a dark forehead, a dull blue chin and throat band, red under the tail and a yellowish bill.

It is fairly common in aviculture. Recorded captive lifespans vary by source: the verified record in AnAge is 16.2 years, and the World Parrot Trust gives about 20. It is on CITES Appendix II, and importing it into the US needs a Wild Bird Conservation Act permit, so ask any seller for breeding and origin records. Heavy trade caused declines in northern Argentina, where 67,851 wild birds were exported from 1981 to 1990. Give it the largest flight you can, since it needs exercise, plus fruit, vegetables, greens, small seed and water for bathing.