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Yellow-eared Parrots, (Ognorhynchus icterotis) are native to the humid montane and elfin forests of the Western Andes of Colombia, and are listed as endangered. Fortunately, the population is currently increasing in number, largely through conservation efforts associated with the wax palm, ( Ceroxylon quindiuense), on which the parrots rely heavily for food and nesting sites. My birding buddy, Doug Knapp, operates La Esperanza, a conservation/research center near Jardin, and I was fortunate to observe flocks feeding on several occasions. This pair was perched above the rest of the flock, perhaps keeping watch while the rest ravaged the tree below.
