Habitat
Dry, semi-deciduous forests on the slopes of north and north-east Roraima. Although it uses forest edge it appears to require quite a large quantity of intact forest. From sea-level - 1,400 m.
Guyana, Surinam and northern Brazil; one record from French Guiana; a record reported from south-eastern Venezuela now known to have been inside Brazil.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is 1,000 - 2,499 (2010) and decreasing.
Sun Parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis) [XC354888]
by Barry Edmonston from , Brazil (call)
Sun Parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis) [XC66213]
by Alexandre Renaudier from , Guyana (call)
Subspecies
Aratinga solstitialis (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993; Stotz et al. 1996) has been split into Sun Parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis) and Aratinga pintoi by SACC (2008). This treatment is under review by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group. Use of the specific name maculata instead of pintoi follows SACC (2011).
Sometimes treated as conspecific with Jandaya Parakeet (Aratinga jandaya) and Golden-capped Parakeet (Aratinga auricapillus), but perhaps better regarded as forming a superspecies with these forms. Possible intergradation with Jandaya Parakeet (Aratinga jandaya) on lower Amazon (where range limits uncertain) may simply reflect age and individual variation.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet