Pacific parakeet
Suchitepéquez Department, Guatemala
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Psittacara
Species:
P. strenuus
Binomial name
Psittacara strenuus
(Ridgway, 1915)
Synonyms

P. holochlorus strenuus[2]

The Pacific parakeet (Psittacara strenuus), known as Pacific conure or Nicaraguan green conure in aviculture[3], is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in southern Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.[4]

Taxonomy and systematics

The Pacific parakeet was for a time placed in the genus Aratinga but from about 2013 has been in its present genus Psittacara.[5][6][4] Its taxonomy is otherwise unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee, the American Ornithological Society, and the Clements taxonomy treat it as a full, monotypic, species.[4][7][8] BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) considers it to be a subspecies of the green parakeet (P. holochlorus).[2]

Pacific parakeet in flight

Description

The Pacific parakeet is about 32 cm (13 in) long. The sexes are alike. Adults are generally olive green that is slightly yellowish on the underparts; some have red speckles on their neck. The undersides of their flight feathers and tail are olive-yellow. Their iris is orange-red surrounded by bare pale beige skin, their bill horn colored, and their legs and feet brownish.[9][10]

Distribution and habitat

The Pacific parakeet is found on the Pacific slope from southern Mexico's Oaxaca state south through Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras into central Nicaragua. It inhabits a variety of woodland landscapes including deciduous, semi-deciduous, and evergreen; gallery forest; swamp forest; and arid scrublands. It also occurs in upland pine-oak forest and in urban parks and gardens. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 2,600 m (8,500 ft).[9][10]

Behavior

Parakeets in flight

Movement

The Pacific parakeet is non-migratory but makes local movements in response to food availability.[10]

Feeding

The Pacific parakeet's diet has not been fully documented but is known to include seed and fruits. It can be a crop pest. Flocks may exceed 100 individuals.[9][10]

Breeding

The Pacific parakeet's breeding biology is not well known. It has been documented nesting in rock crevices and cavities in earthen banks; it probably also nests in cavities in trees and termitaria. Its breeding season appears to include June to September.[10]

Vocalization

The Pacific parakeet's flight call is rendered as "kreh!-kreh!-kreh!-kreh!...". Its perched call is lower pitched, "a scratchy kreeh-kreeh-kreeh-kreei-kreei".[9]

Status

The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy and so includes the Pacific parakeet in its assessment of the green parakeet as being of Least Concern. It has estimated that the combined population numbers about 200,000 mature individuals and is decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified.[11] It is thought to be fairly numerous in parts of its range and occurs in at least two protected areas.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022
  3. ↑ "PACIFIC CONURE (Psittacara strenuus)". World Parrot Trust. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  5. ↑ R. Terry Chesser, Kevin J. Burns, Carla Cicero, Jon L. Dunn, Andrew W. Kratter, Irby J. Lovette, Pamela C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., Douglas F. Stotz, and Kevin Winker. "Fifty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk 2019, vol. 136:1-23 retrieved April 5, 2023
  6. ↑ Remsen, James V.; Urantówka, Adam (2013). "Divide Aratinga into four genera". AOS South American Classification Committee. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, R. A. Jiménez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2022. Check-list of North American Birds (online). American Ornithological Society. https://checklist.aou.org/taxa
  8. ↑ Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022
  9. 1 2 3 4 Fagan, Jesse; Komar, Oliver (2016). Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America. Peterson Field Guides. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-0-544-37326-6.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Collar, N., G. M. Kirwan, C. J. Sharpe, P. F. D. Boesman, and H. F. Greeney (2020). Pacific Parakeet (Psittacara strenuus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.pacpar1.01 retrieved April 6, 2023
  11. ↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Green Parakeet Psittacara holochlorus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T62296899A132190435. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T62296899A132190435.en. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
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