Rhynchopsitta
| Thick-billed parrot | |
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| Adult thick-billed parrot, Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha at Cincinnati Zoo, US |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Superfamily: | Psittacoidea |
| Family: | Psittacidae |
| Subfamily: | Arinae |
| Tribe: | Arini |
| Genus: |
Rhynchopsitta Bonaparte, 1854 |
| Species | |
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Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha (Swainson, 1827) |
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Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha (Swainson, 1827)
Rhynchopsitta terrisi Moore, RT, 1947
†Rhynchopsitta phillipsi Rea, 1997
The thick-billed parrots are stocky brilliant green Neotropical parrots with heavy black beaks of genus Rhynchopsitta of thick billed macaw-like parrots. The genus comprises two existing species, the thick-billed parrot and the maroon-fronted parrot, as well as an extinct species from the in Mexico. The two extant taxa were formerly considered conspecific; they have become rare and are restricted to a few small areas in northern Mexico. The range of the thick-billed parrot formerly extended into the southwestern United States; attempts at reintroduction have been unsuccessful so far.
The two living species have a similar overall appearance, the principal differences lying in their relative sizes and brightness of coloration. Both are mainly green, with red or maroon markings on the forehead, forecrown, broad superciliary stripe, and feathers on the bend of the wing, the carpal edge and the thighs. Their eye-rings are yellow, with the feet and beak dark gray to black. Juveniles have a pale beak fading to gray at the base, whitish eye-rings, and a red brow, but lack the dark red stripes over the eye-rings. The maroon-fronted parrot is generally dark green with maroon-brown head markings and is between 40 cm (16 in) and 45 cm (18 in) in length while the thick-billed parrot is about 38 cm (15 in) long with brighter colors.
The genus was described by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte; the name is derived from the Ancient Greek terms rhynchos "beak", and psitta "parrot". The two taxa were considered subspecies of a single species, before being split.
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Wikipedia