Dusky  Pionus 
Pionus fuscus

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DESCRIPTION: Head dull slate-blue; lores area red; ear-coverts black, edged around with whitish feathers; chin feathers edged with dull pink; back and wings dark brown, each feather with pale edging; breast and abdomen brown with dull pink or bluish edging; under wing-coverts violet-blue; tail dark blue, outer feathers with red base; bill blackish, horn-colured on sides; skin to periophthalmic ring grey; iris brown; feet grey.  Immatures with greenish-blue head; iris dark.

Sexing Undeterminable by appearance

Origin Sierra de Perijá , along Venezuelan-Colombian border; southern Venezuela north of Orinoco, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana and northern Brazil.

Trainability The Dusky Pionus is known for its good-natured personality.

Length 26 cm (10 ins)

Weight 200 g

Average Lifespan 35 Years

Loudness The Dusky Pionus has a voice that is the loudest of the group.

Common Names Dusky Pionus

Talking Ability Are capable of speaking a few words and phrases.

Notes  They are not heavy chewers, but should be provided toys, so they do not to become bored. Initially they may be shy, but with regular handling they will become quite tame. After taming they are known to be intelligent and quite curious. The Dusky Pionus gets its name from the fact that their plumage contains all the colors of sunset, which is seen at dusk. Some erroneously believe that the name "Dusky" stems from their feathers being rather dull in color, but in truth their feathers are very reflective, and are quite lovely. They have brown chests with a muted blue or pink etching along the trim of each feather. Their heads are slate blue with red lores. They have dark blue tails with a red base, typical of birds in the genus Pionus.   They are the smallest of all the parrots in the Pionus genus. Some people say that the coloration of the Dusky Pionus resembles that of the Peregrine.

Mutations

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