Monk parakeet
| Monk parakeet | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| in Uruguay | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Superfamily: | Psittacoidea |
| Family: | Psittacidae |
| Subfamily: | Arinae |
| Genus: |
Myiopsitta Bonaparte, 1854 |
| Species: | M. monachus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Myiopsitta monachus (Boddaert, 1783) |
|
| Subspecies | |
|
2–4, see text |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Psittacus monachus Boddaert, 1783 |
|
2–4, see text
Psittacus monachus Boddaert, 1783
Bolborrhynchus luchsi Finsch, 1868
Myiopsitta luchsi (Finsch, 1868)
The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), also known as the Quaker parrot, is a small, bright-green parrot with a greyish breast and greenish-yellow abdomen. In most taxonomies, it is classified as the only member of the genus Myiopsitta. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of Argentina and the surrounding countries in South America. Self-sustaining feral populations occur in many places, mainly in North America and Europe.
The nominate subspecies of this parakeet is 29 cm (11 in) long on average, with a 48 cm (19 in) wingspan, and weighs 100 g (3.5 oz). Females tend to be 10–20% smaller, but can only be reliably sexed by DNA or feather testing. It has bright-green upperparts. The forehead and breast are pale gray with darker scalloping and the rest of the underparts are very light-green to yellow. The remiges are dark blue, and the tail is long and tapering. The bill is orange. The call is a loud and throaty chape(-yee) or quak quaki quak-wi quarr, and screeches skveet.
Domestic breeds in colors other than the natural plumage have been produced. These include birds with white, blue, and yellow in place of green. As such coloration provides less camouflage, feral birds are usually of wild-type coloration.
Myiopsitta monachus is the only widely accepted member of the genus Myiopsitta. However, the cliff parakeet subspecies (see below) may eventually be recognized as a species again, as it has been on-again-off-again since it was first described in 1868. It is now included with the monk parakeet because too little up-to-date research exists on which an authoritative taxonomic decision could be based. The American Ornithologists' Union, for example, has deferred recognizing the cliff parakeet as distinct "because of insufficient published data".
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