Mauritius parakeet
| Echo parakeet | |
|---|---|
_-at_Durrell_Trust.jpg) |
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| Female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Superfamily: | Psittacoidea |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Subfamily: | Psittaculinae |
| Tribe: | Psittaculini |
| Genus: | Psittacula |
| Species: | P. eques |
| Binomial name | |
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Psittacula eques (Boddaert, 1783) |
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| Subspecies | |
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| Current range | |
| Synonyms | |
The echo parakeet or Mauritius parakeet (Psittacula eques), is a parrot endemic to Mauritius in the southern Indian Ocean. It is the only extant parrot of the Mascarene islands, all others have become extinct due to human activity. The extinct Réunion parakeet of Réunion was previously considered a distinct species, but a 2015 DNA study determined it to be a subspecies of the same species as the Mauritius population. If the Mauritius and Réunion birds are considered the same species, and the subspecies model is considered, then the Echo parakeet becomes the English group name for both, with the Mauritian birds using the scientific name Psittacula eques echo.
Its scientific name change from Psittacula echo had recently found widespread approval. A wealth of circumstantial evidence nowadays suggests that the hypothesized Réunion parakeet (described earlier as Psittacula eques, based on a painting and hearsay reports) did indeed exist. The Réunion birds were the closest relatives, and presumably conspecific, with the Mauritius ones.
A study skin had been discovered at the Royal Museum of Scotland, explicitly referencing a book description of the Réunion birds. This may be the only material proof of these birds' existence, or be from Mauritius. Even in that case, ancient DNA analysis of this specimen will give new insight into these questions, because very little data exists on the genetic diversity of the Mauritius parakeet in former times.
In any case, the Réunion and Mauritius birds certainly formed a clade. Until the new DNA data is available – and even then only if it would show a significant difference -, it is really a matter of opinion whether one follows a lumper or a splitter approach.
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Wikipedia