- Size
- To about 1.3 m and 46 kg — the largest parrotfish
- Snorkel or dive
- Mostly dive.
- Best season
- Year-round.
- Conservation
- Vulnerable (IUCN, assessed 2012).
How to recognise it
A massive blue-green parrotfish with a steep, bumped forehead and a fused, beak-like mouth used to crunch coral.
Behaviour in the wild
Moves in schools at dawn, headbutting and biting coral to graze algae; grinds the rock into fine sand in its throat.
Where to see it in the Maldives
Outer reefs, channels and thilas; more often seen at depth and early in the day.
Visual field notes
See bumphead parrotfish from more than one angle.
One verified identification image is currently available.
01 · Field portrait · Species reference
Field notes
A single adult can excrete hundreds of kilograms of fine white sand a year — much of the Maldives' beach sand is processed reef, parrotfish-made.
Profile references
References are shown transparently; profile copy may also include editorial synthesis. Seasons and sightings vary with wild conditions.
