Chupire vs Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

Euphorbia calyculata compared with Amazona mercenaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chupire	Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Psittaciformes (Parrots)
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Psittacidae (True Parrots)
Genus	Euphorbia	Amazona
Species	Euphorbia calyculata	Amazona mercenaria

Conservation Status

Chupire

LC — Least Concern

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chupire	Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chupire

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Chupire

Chupire (Euphorbia calyculata) is a succulent or semi-succulent plant in the large family Euphorbiaceae, found in tropical and subtropical dry habitats of Mesoamerica and northern South America including Venezuela. The genus Euphorbia is one of the most species-rich genera of flowering plants, encompassing an enormous range of growth forms from tiny annual herbs to massive succulent trees, united by the presence of a milky, toxic latex and a specialized inflorescence called the cyathium. E. calyculata grows as a shrub or small tree in dry to seasonally dry tropical environments, contributing to the structure of thornscrub, dry forest edges, and rocky hillside vegetation. The Chupire is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, indicating stable populations within its native range. Its latex, like that of many Euphorbias, contains diterpene esters and other irritant compounds that deter herbivory. In some regions, the plant has traditional uses in folk medicine and as living fences or hedgerows, exploiting its branching structure and drought tolerance. The species contributes to the floristic diversity of Neotropical dry vegetation, a biome under increasing pressure from agricultural expansion and climate-driven aridity.

Scaly-naped Parrot / Scaly-naped Amazon

A large, predominantly green amazon parrot with distinctive dark-scaled nape feathers and a patch of red on the wing, scaly-naped amazons inhabit humid montane forests of the northern and central Andes in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru at elevations of 600–3,000 meters. Relatively little known compared to other amazons, they are found in pairs or small flocks feeding on seeds, fruit, and flowers in cloud forest. Listed as Least Concern.