On Thu, 4 Apr 1996, Eugene Hunn wrote:
> Thanks much. Is there variation in these characters by sex and/or age?

Variation occurs in adults with respect to the amound of red 'flecks' on
the head in both species, but this is across sexes. Body measurements can
separate sexes (another example of how netting a bird could yield useful
information) as well as the two species. Juveniles can be separated from
adults as follows (from Forshaw)...

Mitred: immatures have little or no red on cheeks or neck, and brown iris
Scarlet-fronted: immatures have reduced or absent red on head and throat.

Forshaw also mentions that Mitred Conures have a grey ring in an
orange-yellow iris, while Scarlet-fronted has a totally yellow iris, but
again I have not been able to see this one way or the other in the field
(as of yet).

-------------
Michael R. Smith
Univ. of Washington, Seattle
whimbrel at u.washington.edu
http://salmo.cqs.washington.edu/~wagap/mike.html