Yellow-eared parrot  (Ognorhynchus icterotis)

Formerly recorded from all three Andean ranges of Colombia and north-west Ecuador, but currently known only from the Central Andes of Colombia, where a small population clings to existence in a remote, unprotected area (4) (5).

Found in humid mountain forest and partially cleared terrain at between 1,200 and 3,400 metres above sea level, though chiefly between 2,000 and 3,000 metres (2). This bird is heavily dependent upon the wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense) - Colombia's national tree - for food and nesting, which is now restricted to just a few small pockets in the Andes of Colombia (5) (6).