Maroon-tailed Parakeet

About the Maroon-tailed Parakeet

The maroon-tailed parakeet (Pyrrhura melanura) is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The International Ornithological Committee and the Clements taxonomy assign these five subspecies to the maroon-tailed parakeet:

P. m. pacifica Chapman, 1915 P. m. chapmani Bond & Meyer de Schauensee, 1940 P. m. melanura (Spix, 1824) P. m. souancei (Verreaux, 1858) P. m. berlepschi Salvadori, 1891 BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats P. m. pacifica and P. m. chapmani as separate species, the "Choco" and "Upper Magdalena" parakeets, respectively. Note that the range map excludes these two taxa.

This article follows the five-subspecies model. The maroon-tailed parakeet is 23 to 25 cm (9.1 to 9.8 in) long and weighs about 83 g (2.9 oz). The sexes are the same. Adults of the nominate subspecies P. m. melanura have a mostly green head with a brown crown and nape. Their upperparts are green. Their throat, the sides of their neck, and their breast are dark green with buffy whitish feather edges that... Wikipedia →