Range extension of Hapalopsittaca fuertesi (Psitaccidae): a new record in Las Hermosas-GVC National Natural Park, Colombia

Abstract

We report a new record of 17 individuals of the Indigo-winged Parrot (Hapalopsittaca fuertesi), one of the most threatened psittacine species in Colombia, on the border of the Las Hermosas-Gloria Valencia de Castaño National Park, in the municipality of Palmira, Valle del Cauca department at an elevation of 3188 m, in a mosaic of natural vegetation and artificial grasslands. This parrot was previously considered to be restricted to four sub-populations located in the limit zone of the Caldas, Quindío, Risaralda, and Tolima departments. This record extends the known distribution of H. fuertesi approximately 122 km southward on the Central Andes of Colombia, to the limit of its previously hypothesized distribution. Las Hermosas-Gloria Valencia de Castaño National Natural Park could well be the most important conservation area to protect this species.