Grey Cheeked Parakeet

People usually look up the grey-cheeked parakeet when they’re trying to confirm a bird’s identity, check whether it’s suitable to keep as a pet, or untangle confusing (and often incorrect) care advice shared online. The details matter: this is a small, active parrot with specific dietary needs and a conservation story shaped by habitat loss and past trade pressure.

Below is a clear, practical profile of the grey-cheeked parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera)—what it looks like, where it lives, how it feeds and breeds in the wild, and what responsible care looks like in captivity—without mixing it up with unrelated “green-cheek conures” or Australian species.^{1, 2}

Quick facts (grey-cheeked parakeet)

• Scientific name: Brotogeris pyrrhoptera¹
• Adult size: about 20 cm (small parrot)³
• Typical weight: roughly 45–60 g³
• Wild range: south-west Ecuador and extreme north-west Peru^{1, 2}
• IUCN Red List status: Vulnerable³
• CITES: Appendix II (international trade is controlled)^{5, 6}

Identification and physical characteristics

In the field, the grey-cheeked parakeet reads as a compact, mostly green bird with a noticeably pale grey face and cheek area. Look for a bluish crown and flashes of warm colour under the wings—orange to red tones can be visible when it flies or stretches.^{1, 2}

It’s often confused online with “green-cheeked conures” (a different group, usually Pyrrhura species) and sometimes even misdescribed as an Australian or New Zealand native. It isn’t. This species belongs to a South American genus (Brotogeris) and occurs naturally only in a small corner of Ecuador and Peru.^{1, 2}

Habitat and distribution

The species has a restricted natural range in south-west Ecuador and extreme north-west Peru. It uses a mix of wooded habitats, including dry forest and deciduous woodland, as well as degraded forest edges and farmland with larger trees—places where flowering and fruiting trees still punctuate the landscape.^{2, 3}

This limited range is part of what makes the bird vulnerable: when the remaining forest is fragmented, the birds lose nesting hollows, feeding trees and safe travel corridors between sites.³

Diet and feeding (wild and captive)

In the wild

Grey-cheeked parakeets feed mainly on plant material—flowers, seeds and fruits—often taken from larger trees and seasonal food sources. They may also feed in cultivated areas where suitable trees or crops are available.³

In captivity

At home, aim for a diet that is consistent, varied, and not dominated by seed. Many parrots offered a seed-only mix will selectively eat the richest items and miss key nutrients over time, even if they look “well fed”. A practical baseline for many pet parrots is a quality pelleted diet as the main component, supported by fresh vegetables and smaller amounts of fruit, nuts and seed (often best used for training and foraging).⁷

Helpful, safety-first notes:

• Vegetables first: darker, more colourful vegetables tend to provide better nutrition than pale, watery options.⁷
• Fruit is not a “health food” in large amounts: it’s easy to overdo the sugar—keep it modest compared with vegetables.⁷
• Known hazards: avoid foods commonly recognised as unsafe for parrots, including avocado and onion.⁷
• Any major diet change: do it gradually and monitor weight—small parrots can lose condition quickly if they refuse unfamiliar food.⁷

Behaviour and social structure

In the wild, grey-cheeked parakeets are usually seen in pairs or small, moving groups rather than huge, stationary flocks. They can be conspicuous by voice—fast, trilling calls in flight, sharper notes when perched—often revealing the flock before you see it in the canopy.^{3, 4}

They’re built for motion: short commutes between feed trees, quick climbs through branches, and frequent bouts of flight. In captivity, the same body shows up as restlessness if the environment is too small or too bare.

Breeding and reproduction

In their natural habitat, grey-cheeked parakeets nest in cavities—typically in trees with suitable hollows. Clutch size is commonly around 4–5 eggs, and chicks generally fledge at about 6–8 weeks, though timing varies with conditions and parental experience.³

They rely on mature trees for nesting opportunities. When those trees are cut, replacement hollows can take decades to form—long after a cleared patch has become “green” again.³

Conservation status, threats and protections

The grey-cheeked parakeet is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its restricted range and pressures that have reduced or destabilised populations in parts of that range.³

Documented threats include:

• Habitat loss and degradation (logging, agriculture and grazing impacts).³
• Trade pressure, historically significant enough that international trade controls apply.^{3, 5}

Internationally, the species is listed on CITES Appendix II. That doesn’t ban trade outright, but it does mean trade is regulated and requires permitting controls designed to prevent wild populations being harmed by demand.^{5, 6}

Keeping grey-cheeked parakeets as pets (what to weigh up)

These are small parrots, but they are not “small needs” birds. A grey-cheeked parakeet tends to do best with room to move, daily interaction, and a habitat set up for climbing, chewing and searching rather than sitting still.

Potential upsides

• Compact size compared with many parrots, while still being agile and expressive in behaviour.
• Active, social routines that suit keepers who enjoy daily enrichment, training and observation.

Common challenges

• Noise: small parrots can produce surprisingly sharp calls, especially in the morning and late afternoon.
• Time and consistency: behaviour problems often start as boredom—too little flight time, too few foraging opportunities, and an environment that never changes.
• Diet management: seed-heavy feeding is easy, popular, and frequently nutritionally lopsided over the long term.⁷

Space and enrichment: what “enough” looks like

Think in terms of movement, not just cage measurements. A larger enclosure is useful, but it’s the daily pattern that matters—safe out-of-cage time, opportunities to fly (where possible), and set-ups that encourage natural foraging and chewing. Provide branches and destructible, bird-safe toys, rotate items regularly, and include bathing options if your bird enjoys them.³

Import and legal note for Australia

If you’re in Australia (or planning to move there), importing pet birds is tightly regulated. Requirements can involve both biosecurity conditions and separate environment legislation permits, particularly for CITES-listed species, and eligibility can depend on whether the species appears on the Live Import List.⁸

Final thoughts

The grey-cheeked parakeet is a small bird from a small corner of the world, shaped by dry forests, flowering trees and the availability of nesting hollows. As a pet it can be engaging and busy, but it asks for the same essentials it would seek in the wild: a varied diet, room to move, and a life with daily purpose.

References

1. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service — Gray-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera)
2. Cornell Lab of Ornithology (eBird/Merlin) — Gray-cheeked Parakeet species account (Ecuador)
3. World Parrot Trust — Grey-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera) species profile
4. Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Birds of the World: Gray-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera)
5. CITES — Brotogeris pyrrhoptera listing (Appendix II)
6. CITES — The CITES Appendices (how Appendix I/II/III work)
7. Animal Welfare League Queensland — Pet bird care: diet, pellets, vegetables, weight monitoring, toxic foods
8. Australian Government (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) — Importing your pet bird