Psittacus rufirostris, LINNÆUS; Le Sincialo, BUFFON; Der
rothschnäblige Sittich, BECHSTEIN.
The length of this species is twelve inches and a half, but the tail
alone measures seven inches and a half. This bird is not larger than a
blackbird; the folded wings only cover one quarter of the tail, the
centre feathers of which are nearly five inches longer than the exterior
ones. The upper mandible of the beak is of a blood red, with the point
black; the under one is entirely black. The circle of the eyes, the
naked membrane of the beak, and the feet, are flesh-coloured; the irides
are orange. The rest of the body is yellowish green, with the wings
bordered with light yellow. There are varieties of different shades of
green, the tail feathers of which are blue at the extremity.
This species inhabits the hottest part of South America. Its cry is
noisy and frequent; it soon learns to speak, whistle, and imitate the
sounds of most animals as well as birds. In the cage, where it cannot
have much other exercise, it chatters and squalls so incessantly, that
it is often very disagreeable. It must be treated like the preceding
species, but does not appear so delicate.