The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Parrots

[Chlidonias]

Conuropsis
One extinct species.


Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis
Two subspecies: carolinensis and ludovicianus.


Extinct. Formerly found in the eastern USA, with C. c. carolinensis in the east of the range and the larger and paler subspecies C. c. ludovicianus in the west. Traditionally the distribution is stated as covering the entire eastern USA, although more recent analyses of historical records suggest that the two subspecies' ranges were largely discreet and much smaller than generally given. There is a map of the more-likely distribution given here: We Now Know the Real Range of the Extinct Carolina Parakeet

The species was common at the time of European arrival to the Americas but, largely due to hunting and deforestation, was scarce by the mid-1800s and entirely eliminated by the early years of the 1900s. The last known individual died at Cincinnati Zoo (USA) in 1918.


The closest genetic relatives of this species are the Aratinga (including Nandayus) conures, and some taxonomists would place the species in that genus.


There are very few photos of taxidermy specimens of Carolina Parakeets in the Zoochat galleries, but unfortunately I couldn't locate them in the catalogues of their respective museums to check for which subspecies they might be. So I have just used one of the photos below.


Photo by @ZooElephantsMan at the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium (USA).

Taxidermy Carolina Parakeets - ZooChat

 

[birdsandbats]

Conuropsis
One extinct species.


Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis
Two subspecies: carolinensis and ludovicianus.


Extinct. Formerly found in the eastern USA, with C. c. carolinensis in the east of the range and the larger and paler subspecies C. c. ludovicianus in the west. Traditionally the distribution is stated as covering the entire eastern USA, although more recent analyses of historical records suggest that the two subspecies' ranges were largely discreet and much smaller than generally given. There is a map of the more-likely distribution given here: We Now Know the Real Range of the Extinct Carolina Parakeet

The species was common at the time of European arrival to the Americas but, largely due to hunting and deforestation, was scarce by the mid-1800s and entirely eliminated by the early years of the 1900s. The last known individual died at Cincinnati Zoo (USA) in 1918.


The closest genetic relatives of this species are the Aratinga (including Nandayus) conures, and some taxonomists would place the species in that genus.


There are four photos in the Zoochat galleries of taxidermy specimens of Carolina Parakeets, but unfortunately I couldn't locate them in the catalogues of their respective museums to check for which subspecies they might be. So I have just used one of the photos below.


Photo by @snowleopard at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (USA).

Hall of Texas Wildlife - Carolina Parakeet (now extinct) - ZooChat

Aren't the two subspecies supposed to be easily separable by color?

 

[Chlidonias]

Aren't the two subspecies supposed to be easily separable by color?

Museum specimens of Carolina Parakeets are between one and two hundred years old, at least. Have a look at any centuries-old animal specimens and see if their colours match those of living animals. Trying to identify subspecies just by colour from photos of old specimens would be pure guesswork.

 

[Chlidonias]

Cyanoliseus
One species.



Patagonian Conure Cyanoliseus patagonus
Four subspecies: andinus, bloxami, conlara, patagonus.

Also known as Burrowing Parrot.


Mostly restricted to Argentina, although the subspecies bloxami is from central Chile. C. p. andinus is in northwest Argentina; conlara is in central Argentina; and patagonus breeds in southern Argentina but moves north into central Argentina and southern Uruguay in winter.

The species has been heavily depleted due to trapping for the bird trade and most of the subspecies are now reduced to a few thousand birds. Only C. p. patagonus remains in large numbers in the wild, but most of the population is in one area (El Condor, where a 2011 estimate put the number of active nest burrows at 35,000).

Three of the subspecies are pictured in the Zoochat galleries (andinus, bloxami and patagonus).


Photo by @Sicarius at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies andinus.

Andean burrowing parrot (Cyanoliseus patagonus andinus) - ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari at Biopark Zoo de Doue la Fontaine (France) - subspecies bloxami (Greater Patagonian Conure), showing the colour of the underparts.

Greater Patagonian Conure at Doué-la-Fontaine, 15/06/18 - ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies bloxami, showing the white breast-band which the other subspecies lack.

Greater Patagonian Conure at Loro Parque, 08/11/10 - ZooChat


Photo by @Therabu at Berlin Tierpark (Germany) - subspecies patagonus (Lesser Patagonian Conure).

Patagonian Conure (Cyanoliseus patagonus) - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Enicognathus
Two species.



Austral Conure Enicognathus ferrugineus
Two subspecies: ferrugineus and minor.


Found in southern South America, with ferrugineus in southern Chile and southern Argentina, and minor in central Chile to southwest Argentina.


All the birds pictured in the Zoochat gallery appear to be the subspecies ferrugineus, which has more extensive red on the abdomen, although I have no idea what the make-up of the captive population in aviculture is.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Prague Zoo (Czech Republic).

Austral parakeets - ZooChat


Photo by @Vision at Loro Parque (Canary Islands).

Austral conure, Enicognathus ferrugineus - ZooChat



Slender-billed Conure Enicognathus leptorhynchus
Monotypic.


Found in Central Chile, and also on Chiloe Island.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Prague Zoo (Czech Republic).

Slender-billed parakeet - ZooChat


Photo by @KevinB at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Germany). Note the long bill in comparison to that of the Austral Conure.

Slender-billed parakeet (Enicognathus leptorhynchus), 2024-05-22 - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Eupsittula
Six species, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

This genus was previously included within Aratinga.



Aztec Conure Eupsittula astec
Two subspecies: astec and vicinalis. Formerly included as subspecies of the Jamaican (Olive-throated) Conure E. nana.


Found throughout Central America, with astec distributed from Veracruz (southeastern Mexico) to western Panama, and vicinalis entirely within Mexico from Tamaulipas to Veracruz.


Photo by @ralph in the wild, Mexico - subspecies astec.

Aztec parakeet - ZooChat



Peach-fronted Conure Eupsittula aurea
Two subspecies: aurea and major.


Found across eastern and central South America, from Surinam across Brazil to eastern Bolivia, southeastern Peru and northwest Argentina. Parrots.org, which I tend to use for the subspecies and distributions, says of E. a. major "exact range not known, but recorded from N Paraguay".


Surprisingly there are only a few photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries, even though it is pretty common in aviculture, and most of the photos are partially-obscured (wire or branches, for example) or otherwise don't show the colours well.


Photo by @Therabu at Parque das Aves (Brazil).

Peach-fronted Parakeet Eupsittula aurea - ZooChat



Caatinga or Cactus Conure Eupsittula cactorum
Two subspecies: cactorum and caixana.


Endemic to the caatinga of Brazil. E. c. cactorum is confined southern Bahia and northeastern Minas Gerais. E. c. caixana has a distribution from northwest Bahia north to southeast Maranhao.


Photo by @Maguari at Loro Parque (Canary Islands).

Cactus Conure at Loro Parque, 08/11/10 - ZooChat



Orange-fronted or Half-Moon Conure Eupsittula canicularis
Three subspecies: canicularis, clarae and eburnirostrum.


From the Pacific side of Mexico and Central America: canicularis is the most widespread subspecies, found from Chiapas (Mexico) to Costa Rica; clarae is from western Mexico, from Sinaloa to Colima; and eburnirostrum is from southwest Mexico, from Michoacan to Oaxaca.


Photo by @Daniel Sörensen at Parrot Zoo (Czech Republic) - subspecies canicularis.

Central American orange-fronted parakeet (Eupsittula canicularis canicularis) - Parrot Zoo Bošovice - ZooChat


Photo by @Tomek at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Germany) - subspecies eburnisrotrum.

Orange-fronted Conures (Aratinga canicularis eburnirostrum) - ZooChat



Jamaican or Olive-throated Conure Eupsittula nana
Monotypic. P. astec was formerly treated as a subspecies.


Before the split of E. astec from E. nana, the name "Olive-throated Conure" was typically used. Most photos in the Zoochat galleries are labelled under this name but apart for the wild photo used below all depict the mainland species E. astec.


Endemic to Jamaica.


Photo by @zoo_sipsik in the wild, Jamaica.

Olive-throated parakeet (Eupsittula nana) Wild in Jamaica - ZooChat



Brown-throated or Yellow-cheeked Conure Eupsittula pertinax
Fourteen subspecies: aeruginosa, arubensis, chrysogenys, chrysophrys, griseipecta, lehmanni, margaritensis, ocularis, paraensis, pertinax, surinama, tortugensis, venezuelae, xanthogenia.

Only two of the subspecies are represented in the Zoochat galleries (pertinax and surinama).


Found mainly in northern South America and on several nearby Caribbean islands (hence the number of subspecies), with one subspecies (ocularis) isolated in Central America: aeruginosa is from northern Colombia across to northwest Venezuela; arubensis is from the island of Aruba; chrysogenys is from northwest Brazil; chrysophrys is from Guyana, Venezuela and northern Brazil; griseipecta is from the Rio Sinu valley in Colombia (but is doubtfully distinct from aeruginosa); lehmanni is from central and eastern Colombia across to southern Venezuela; margaritensis is from the island of Margarita and the Los Frailes Islands off Venezuela; ocularis is from Central America, in Costa Rica and Panama; paraensis is from the Brazilian state of Para; pertinax is native to the island of Curacao, but has also been introduced to the islands of St Thomas and Saba (both in the Virgin Islands); surinama is from Surinam and the Guianas to northeastern Venezuela; tortugensis is from the island of Tortuga; venezuelae is from Venezuela; xanthogenia is from the island of Bonaire.

This interesting article, with photos and a map, outlines how there are four colour-based groupings which could be separate species: "Yellow-headed" (pertinax and xanthogenia); "Grey-throated" (aeruginosa and griseipecta); "Veraguan" (ocularis); and "Brown-throated" (all the rest of the subspecies).
Taxonomy of Brown-throated Parakeets – birdfinding.info


Photo by @devilfish at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies pertinax (St Thomas' Conure). The subspecies pertinax and xanthogenia have much more extensive yellow on the head than other subspecies.

Brown-throated conure, December 2012 - ZooChat


Photo by @Zooish at Singapore River Safari / River Wonders (Singapore) - subspecies surinama.

River Gems - Suriname Brown-throated Parakeet (Eupsittula pertinax surinama) - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Guaruba
One species.



Golden or Queen of Bavaria's Conure Guaruba guarouba
Monotypic.


Found only in northern Brazil.


Photo by @Tomek at Amazon World Zoo Park (UK).

Golden Conure (Guarouba guarouba) - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Leptosittaca
One species.



Golden-plumed Parakeet Leptosittaca branickii
Monotypic.


Found in the mountain forests above 2400m in the Andes, from Colombia and Ecuador to southern Peru.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Ognorhynchus
One species.



Yellow-eared Parrot Ognorhynchus icterotis
Monotypic.


Found in the mountain forests of northwest Ecuador and western Colombia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Psittacara
About twelve living species, nine of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Previously in the genus Aratinga.

There is at least one extinct Caribbean species from the genus, the Puerto Rican Conure Psittacara maugei which was last recorded in 1892. Another Caribbean species, the Guadeloupe Conure Psittacara labati may be a valid species but is known only from written accounts from the 1700s and is generally treated as hypothetical.


The number of species in this genus is a bit fluid, as several of them are variably treated as being either full species or just as subspecies of others. As with other such cases in this thread, here I am taking a splitty approach in order to cover all the bases.

The three species not depicted in the Zoochat galleries are the Socorro Conure P. brevipes, Green Conure P. holochlorus, and Wagler's Conure P. wagleri. The photos in the galleries which are labelled as being Wagler's Conures appear to all show Cordilleran Conures (which are a split from Wagler's).



Socorro Conure Psittacara brevipes
Monotypic.

Has also been treated as a subspecies of P. holochlorus.


Endemic to Socorro Island off western Mexico.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Hispaniolan Conure Psittacara chloropterus
Monotypic.

The Puerto Rican Conure Psittacara maugei (extinct c.1892) is either treated as a subspecies of P. chloropterus or as a separate species.


Endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), but also introduced to Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico.


Photo by @toto98 in the wild, Dominican Republic.

Hispaniolan parakeet (Psittacara chloropterus) - ZooChat



Red-masked Conure Psittacara erythrogenys
Monotypic.


Found in western Ecuador and Peru. Also introduced to the USA and Grand Cayman Island in the Greater Antilles.


Photo by @Parrotsandrew at Sewerby Zoo (UK). The amount of red on the head is extremely variable in this species.

Red-masked Conure, 14th August 2014 - ZooChat



Cuban Conure Psittacara euops
Monotypic.


Endemic to Cuba.


Photo by @gentle lemur at Birdworld (UK).

Cuban conure 1981 - ZooChat



Finsch's Conure Psittacara finschi
Monotypic.


Found in Central America from Nicaragua to Panama.


Photo by @Maguari at Loro Parque (Canary Islands).

Finsch's Conure at Loro Parque, 08/11/10 - ZooChat



Cordilleran Conure Psittacara frontatus
Two subspecies: frontatus and minor.

Formerly treated as subspecies of P. wagleri.


Found in Ecuador and Peru.


Photo by @twilighter at Prague Zoo (Czech Republic) - subspecies frontatus.

Cordilleran Parakeet - ZooChat


Photo by @Sicarius at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies minor.

Lesser cordilleran parakeet (Psittacara frontatus minor) - ZooChat



Green Conure Psittacara holochlorus
Two subspecies: brewsteri and holochlorus.

Formerly P. brevipes, P. rubritorquis and P. strenuus were also treated as a subspecies.


Possibly endemic to Mexico (following the split of P. rubritorquis and P. strenuus, which reach further south into Central America). P. h. brewsteri is from northwest Mexico; P. h. holochlorus is from eastern Mexico. The nominate subspecies is also found in southeast Texas (USA), and there is dispute as to whether this is a natural population or an introduced one.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries, surprisingly.



White-eyed Conure Psittacara leucophthalmus
Four subspecies: callogenys, leucophthalmus, nicefori, propinquus.


Found throughout most of South America. P. l. callogenys is from upper Amazonia, in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil; leucophthalmus has the widest range, found throughout most of the northeast and east of the continent, from Colombia and Venzuela south to Uruguay and Argentina; nicefori is known from one specimen collected in Colombia (possibly invalid); propinquus is from southeast Brazil to northwest Argentina.


Photo by @David Matos Mendes at RioZoo (Brazil).

White-eyed conure - BioParque do Rio - ZooChat


Photo by @Therabu in the wild, Brazil - subspecies leucophthalmus.

White-eyed Parakeet (Psittacara leucophthalmus) - ZooChat



Mitred Conure Psittacara mitratus
Two to four subspecies: alticola, chlorogenys, mitratus, tucumanus.


P. m. alticola is from the Cuzuco region in central Peru. P. m. chlorogenys is from the eastern slope of the Peruvian Andes. P. m. mitratus is found from central Peru through Bolivia to Argentina. P. m. tucumanus is from Cordoba and Tucuman (Argentina). Because different authors recognise different subspecies, these distributions depend on which source you consult (e.g. the nominate mitratus will have either a smaller or wider range if other subspecies are split or lumped with it).

The species has also become established in the USA via escaped pets.


Photo by @Daniel Sörensen at Parrot Zoo (Czech Republic)- labeled as subspecies mitratus.

Bolivian mitred conure (Psittacara mitratus mitratus) - Parrot Zoo Bošovice - ZooChat


Photo by @Sicarius at a private collection - labeled as subspecies tucumanus.

Tucumán mitred parakeet (Psittacara mitratus tucumanus) - ZooChat



Red-throated Conure Psittacara rubritorquis
Monotypic.

Has also been treated as a subspecies of P. holochlorus.


Found in northern Central America, from Guatemala to Nicaragua.


Photo by @Sicarius of a privately-owned bird.

Red-throated parakeet (Psittacara rubritorquis) - ZooChat


Photo by @Daniel Sörensen at Parrot Zoo (Czech Republic).

Red-throated parakeet (Psittacara rubritorquis) - Parrot Zoo Bošovice - ZooChat



Pacific or Nicaraguan Green Conure Psittacara strenuus
Monotypic.

Has also been treated as a subspecies of P. holochlorus.


Found from southern Mexico to Guatemala and Nicaragua.


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird market in the Netherlands.

Pacific or Nicaraguan conure - Psittacara strenuus - ZooChat



Scarlet-fronted or Wagler's Conure Psittacara wagleri
Two subspecies: transilis and wagleri.


P. w. transilis is from the coastal mountains of northeastern Venezuela; and wagleri from the mountains of northwestern Venezuela to western Colombia.


There do not appear to be any photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries. The larger Cordilleran Conure P. frontatus was formerly treated as a subspecies of P. wagleri, so all the photos on Zoochat labelled as Wagler's are actually of that other species (as far as I could tell). They can be told apart by the Cordilleran Conure having red on the bend of the wing, whereas in Wagler's Conure this is green.

 

[birdsandbats]

Green Conure Psittacara holochlorus
There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries, surprisingly - I suspect I just couldn't find them.

Especially surprising considering the large introduced population in the USA. I'll bet someone has a photo.

 

[Chlidonias]

Pyrrhura
This is a really messy genus with anywhere from 15 to 30 or more species being recognised, depending on splits. There are 30 species listed below (utilising lots of splits), of which 19 are represented by photos from the Zoochat galleries.


Most of the splits in this genus have been made from the White-eared Conure P. leucotis and the Painted Conure P. picta (often called the "leucotis-picta complex"). Most species are now monotypic because so many subspecies have been split off as full species.

A diagram is shown on this link comparing the appearance all the leucotis and picta taxa: https://www.researchgate.net/figure...of-the-Pyrrhura-picta-leucotis_fig4_317081358


A few of the species in this genus are common avicultural subjects - some even with colour mutations, notably in the Maroon-bellied Conure P. frontalis and Green-cheeked Conure P. molinae - but others are not kept in captivity at all or are very rare. Most of the depicted species have only a few photos in the Zoochat galleries.


Below is the basic list of species (alphabetically), with notes on which are splits from other species. The species marked with an asterisk have photos in the galleries.


White-necked or White-breasted Conure Pyrrhura albipectus

Santarem or Hellmayr's Conure Pyrrhura amazonum – a split from P. picta (and also including the former Madeira Conure Pyrrhura snethlageae)

Todd's or Perija Conure Pyrrhura caeruleiceps – a split from P. picta

Flame-winged or Brown-breasted Conure Pyrrhura calliptera

*Ochre-marked Conure Pyrrhura cruentata

Blaze-winged Conure Pyrrhura devillei – a split from P. frontalis

*Fiery-shouldered Conure Pyrrhura egregia

Azuero Conure Pyrrhura eisenmanni – a split from P. picta

*Venezuelan or Emma's Conure Pyrrhura emma – a split from P. leucotis

*Maroon-bellied Conure Pyrrhura frontalis

*Grey-breasted Conure Pyrrhura griseipectus – a split from P. leucotis

*Red-eared Conure Pyrrhura hoematotis

*Sulphur-winged Conure Pyrrhura hoffmanni

*Pearly Conure Pyrrhura lepida

*White-eared Conure Pyrrhura leucotis

Bonaparte's or Deville's Conure Pyrrhura lucianii – a split from P. picta

*Maroon-tailed or Black-tailed Conure Pyrrhura melanura

*Green-cheeked Conure Pyrrhura molinae

El Oro Conure Pyrrhura orcesi

*Choco Conure Pyrrhura pacifica – a split from P. melanura

*Garlepp's Conure Pyrrhura parvifrons – a split from P. roseifrons (which was itself a split from P. picta)

*Crimson-bellied Conure Pyrrhura perlata

Wavy-breasted Conure Pyrrhura peruviana – a split from P. roseifrons (which was itself a split from P. picta)

*Pfrimer's or Maroon-faced Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri – a split from P. leucotis

*Painted Conure Pyrrhura picta

*Rose-headed or Rose-crowned Conure Pyrrhura rhodocephala

*Rose-fronted Conure Pyrrhura roseifrons – a split from P. picta

*Black-capped or Rock Conure Pyrrhura rupicola

Sinu Conure Pyrrhura subandina – a split from P. picta

Santa Marta Conure Pyrrhura viridicata

 

[Chlidonias]

White-necked or White-breasted Conure Pyrrhura albipectus
Monotypic.


From southeastern Ecuador and northern Peru, in the forests of the eastern slopes of the Andes.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Santarem or Hellmayr's Conure Pyrrhura amazonum

Taxonomy variable from being considered monotypic to having two or three subspecies. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. picta. The subspecies P. a. amazonum and P. a. microtera are now generally considered synonyms (making the species monotypic). However the Madeira Conure P. snethlageae, described in 2002, was later found to have already been described in 1924 as P. pallescens, and is genetically close enough that it should probably be considered a subspecies of P. amazonum. The Madeira Conure had two subspecies (P. s. lucida and P. s. snethlageae), which would then be tranferred to P. amazonum as P. a. lucida and P. a. pallescens respectively.


Found mostly within Brazil, with P. a. amazonum from eastern Amazonia in northern Brazil, P. a. pallescens (i.e. P. s. snethlageae) from the Madeira River basin in southwest Brazil and northern Bolivia, and P. a. lucida (i.e. P. snethlageae lucida) in the Mato Grosso.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Todd's or Perija Conure Pyrrhura caeruleiceps
Two subspecies, caeruleiceps and pantchenkoi. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. picta.


Found only in the Sierra de Perija, on the border between Venzuela and Colombia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Flame-winged or Brown-breasted Conure Pyrrhura calliptera
Monotypic.


Endemic to Colombia, where it is restricted to a relatively small area in the mountain forests of the eastern slope of the Andes.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Ochre-marked Conure Pyrrhura cruentata
Monotypic.


Endemic to southeastern Brazil.


Photo by @NRJMelvinT at Jardin des Plantes (France).

Ochre-marked parakeet (Pyrrhura cruentata) - ZooChat



Blaze-winged Conure Pyrrhura devillei
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. frontalis, from which it differs mainly in having red on the bend of the wing and on the underwing.


Found from southeast Bolivia to the Mato Grosso of Brazil.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Fiery-shouldered Conure Pyrrhura egregia
Two subspecies, egregia and obscura.


From the highland forests of western Guyana, northern Brazil and southern Venezuela (egregia); and southeastern Venezuela (obscura).


Photo by @Sicarius at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies egregia.

Fiery-shouldered parakeet (Pyrrhura egregia egregia) - ZooChat



Azuero Conure Pyrrhura eisenmanni
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. picta.


Endemic to the Azuero Peninsula in central Panama.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Venezuelan or Emma's Conure Pyrrhura emma
Two subspecies, auricularis and emma. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. leucotis.


Endemic to the mountain forests of Venezuela, with auricularis in the northeast, and emma in the north.


Photo by @Daniel Sörensen at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Germany).

Venezuelan parakeet (Pyrrhura emma) - ZooChat



Maroon-bellied Conure Pyrrhura frontalis
Two subspecies, chiripepe and frontalis. A third subspecies, kriegi is now generally considered synonymous with the nominate frontalis.


Found in southern Paraguay, northern Argentina, Uruguay and southeastern Brazil, with chiripepe in the south/west of the range and frontalis to the north/east (entirely within Brazil).

The main visual distinction between the two subspecies is in the colouration of the tail. The Blaze-winged Conure Pyrrhura devillei, which has traditionally been treated as subspecies, has red on the bend of the wing which chiripepe and frontalis lack.


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands - subspecies chiripepe.

Maroon-bellied parakeet - Pyrrhura frontalis chiripepe - ZooChat


Photo by @vogelcommando at De Evenaar-Etten-Leur (Netherlands) - subspecies frontalis.

Green-cheeked conures - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Grey-breasted Conure Pyrrhura griseipectus
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. leucotis.


Endemic to northeastern Brazil.


Photo by @Zooish at Bird Paradise (Singapore).

Grey-breasted Conure (Pyrrhura griseipectus) - ZooChat



Red-eared or Blood-eared Conure Pyrrhura hoematotis
Two subspecies, hoematotis and immarginata.


Endemic to Venezuela, with hoematotis in the Coastal Cordillera mountains of the north, and immarginata recorded only from Cubiro in the north.


Photo by @Sicarius at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies hoematotis.

Blood-eared parakeet (Pyrrhura hoematotis hoematotis) - ZooChat



Sulphur-winged Conure Pyrrhura hoffmanni
Two subspecies, gaudens and hoffmanni.


From the mountain forests of southern Central America, with gaudens in western Panama and hoffmanni in southern Costa Rica.


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands - subspecies gaudens. The yellow of the wings is mostly hidden in this photo.

Chiriqui conure (Pyrrhura hoffmanni gaudens) - ZooChat


Pearly Conure Pyrrhura lepida
Two or three subspecies: anerythra, coerulescens, lepida. The subspecies coerulescens may be considered synonymous with lepida, although it differs in colouration.

Note 1: there has been some historical confusion over scientific names, with the Pearly Conure formerly being called P. perlata (with subspecies anerythra, coerulescens, lepida and perlata), and the Crimson-bellied Conure being called P. rhodogaster. In the 1980s it was shown that the original 1824 description of perlata was actually of juvenile Crimson-bellied Conures and as that name had priority over rhodogaster (1864) this became the scientific name of the Crimson-bellied Conure, and the Pearly Conure then gained the next available name which was P. lepida (given in 1832).

Note 2: the subspecies anerythra has also been proposed as being a full species separate from P. lepida.


Endemic to Brazil: anerythra is from east Para; coerulescens is from east and central Maranhao; and lepida is from northeast Para to northwest Maranhao.


Photo by @Vision at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies lepida.

Pearly conure, Pyrrhura lepida lepida - ZooChat


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands - subspecies coerulescens.

Miritaba pearly conure - Pyrrhura perlata coerulescens - ZooChat



White-eared Conure Pyrrhura leucotis
Monotypic. Formerly with four or five subspecies, which have all been split off into separate species.


Endemic to eastern Brazil.


Photo by @devilfish at Palmitos Park (Canary Islands).

White-eared parakeet - ZooChat



Bonaparte's or Deville's Conure Pyrrhura lucianii
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. picta.


Endemic to the Brazilian state of Amazonas.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Maroon-tailed or Black-tailed Conure Pyrrhura melanura
Four subspecies: berlepschi, chapmani, melanura, souancei. The Choco Conure P. pacifica was formerly treated as a subspecies. Some authors would also split off chapmani and souancei as separate species.


P. m. berlepschi is from southeastern Ecuador and eastern Peru; chapmani is from central Colombia; melanura is from the Upper Amazon basin; and souancei is from southern Colombia and eastern Ecuador.


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands.

Maroon-tailed ( Black-tailed ) conures - Pyrrhura melanura - ZooChat


Green-cheeked Conure Pyrrhura molinae
Six subspecies: australis, flavoptera, molinae, phoenicura, restricta, sordida.


Found mostly in Bolivia and southern Brazil: australis is from southern Bolivia and northwest Argentina; flavoptera is from northern Bolivia; molinae is from the highlands of east Bolivia; phoenicura is from southern Brazil and northeast Bolivia; restricta is from the Santa Cruz area of eastern Bolivia; and sordida is from southern Brazil and northwest Paraguay.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Vogelpark Avifauna (Netherlands). Note the red tail, which is the easiest way to distinguish this species from the similar Maroon-bellied Conure P. frontalis; other clear differences are the dark crown and blue nape (both green in P. frontalis). Both species have a maroon patch on the belly, although that cannot be seen in this photo.

Green-cheeked conure - ZooChat


Photo by @Sicarius at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - subspecies restricta.

Santa Cruz parakeet (Pyrrhura molinae restricta) - ZooChat



El Oro Conure Pyrrhura orcesi
Monotypic.


Endemic to southwest Ecuador.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Choco Conure Pyrrhura pacifica
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. melanura.


Found on the western slopes of the Andes in southwest Colombia and northwest Ecuador.


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands.

Maroon-tailed parakeet - Pyrrhura melanura pacifica - ZooChat



Garlepp's Conure Pyrrhura parvifrons
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. roseifrons (which was itself formerly treated as a subspecies of P. picta).


Endemic to northern Peru.


Photo by @devilfish in the wild, Peru.

Garlepp's parakeets, Peruvian Amazon, May 2016 - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Crimson-bellied Conure Pyrrhura perlata
Monotypic.

Note: formerly went under the scientific name Pyrrhura rhodogaster, which is a junior synonym - the name perlata was given in 1824 to juvenile birds (and thought to be a form of Pearly Conure), whereas adult birds were not described until 1864 under the name rhodogaster). The confusion over nomenclature was not sorted out until the 1980s.


Found in central South America, from central Brazil to eastern Bolivia.


Photo by @Therabu at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Germany).

Crimson-bellied Conure Pyrrhura perlata - ZooChat



Wavy-breasted Conure Pyrrhura peruviana
Two subspecies, dilutissima and peruviana. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. roseifrons (which was itself formerly treated as a subspecies of P. picta).


Found in Ecuador and Peru: dilutissima is from the Apurimac Valley in south-central Peru, and peruviana is from the Andean foothills in southeastern Ecuador and northern Peru.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Pfrimer's or Maroon-faced Conure Pyrrhura pfrimeri
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. leucotis.


Endemic to a very small area of caatinga in east-central Brazil.


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands.

Pfrimer's marroon-faced parakeet - ZooChat



Painted Conure Pyrrhura picta
Monotypic. Formerly with multiple subspecies (at least ten), which have all been split off into separate species.


Found in northern South America, from southeastern Venezuela to the Guianas and northern Amazonia (Brazil).


Photo by @LaughingDove at Suan Palm Farm Nok (Thailand).

Painted Conure - ZooChat



Rose-headed or Rose-crowned Conure Pyrrhura rhodocephala
Monotypic.


Endemic to the Cordillera de Merida in Venezuela.


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands. Note the distinctive white feathers in the wing.

Rose-headed parakeet - ZooChat



Rose-fronted Conure Pyrrhura roseifrons
Monotypic (following the further splitting of P. parvifrons and P. peruviana). Traditionally all had also been treated as subspecies of P. picta.


Found in western Amazonia, from northern Peru south to northern Bolivia and western Brazil.


Photo by @KevinB at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Germany).

Rose-fronted conure (Pyrrhura roseifrons), 2024-05-22 - ZooChat



Black-capped or Rock Conure Pyrrhura rupicola
Two subspecies, rupicola and sandiae.


P. r. rupicola is from east-central Peru, and P. r. sandiae is from southeast Peru to northern Bolivia and western Amazonia (Brazil).


Photo by @Maguari at Vogelpark Heppenheim (Germany) - subspecies rupicola.

Black-capped Conure at Heppenheim, 05/09/10 - ZooChat


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands - subspecies sandiae.

Black-capped conure - Subspecies sandiae - ZooChat



Sinu Conure Pyrrhura subandina
Monotypic. Traditionally has been treated as a subspecies of P. picta.


Possibly endemic to the Sinu Valley in northern Colombia. It has not been recorded since 1949, "despite extensive searches" according to the IUCN, and may be extinct.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.



Santa Marta Conure Pyrrhura viridicata
Monotypic.


Endemic to a small area in northern Colombia.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries.

 

[Chlidonias]

Rhynchopsitta
Two living species.


There is also an extinct species from the late Pleistocene of Mexico, around 25,000 to 12,000 years ago, Rhynchopsitta phillipsi. The parrots of this genus feed primarily on pine seeds, and so it is theorised that the extinction of R. phillipsi may have been due to it specialising on some species of pine which became extinct in the changing climate during the end of the last Ice Age. The current restricted distribution of the extant Maroon-fronted Parrot is also thought to be relictual due to changes in forest composition at that time. The cave deposits in which R. phillipsi were found also contained bones from both of the extant Rhynchopsitta species.



Thick-billed Parrot Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha
Monotypic.


Found in the mountain pine forests of northwestern and central Mexico, mainly within the Sierra Madre Occidental, and formerly (until the 1930s) also occurring naturally in the southern USA. Reintroductions have taken place in southern Arizona (USA) but were unsuccessful to date.


Photo by @Julio C Castro at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA).

Thick Billed Parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @gentle lemur at Exmoor Zoo (UK), showing the underwing colour.

Thick-billed parrot - ZooChat



Maroon-fronted Parrot Rhynchopsitta terrisi
Monotypic.


The Maroon-fronted Parrot was originally described as a species distinct from R. pachyrhyncha, but has since wavered between that position and being just a distinctive subspecies. Currently it is treated as a full species. It is considerably larger than R. pachyrhyncha and has different behavioural patterns, notably in breeding. The two taxa can also be easily distinguished osteologically (i.e. from skeletal material). Conversely they are very close genetically.


Endemic to the mountain pine forests of northeastern Mexico, where it occupies a restricted range in the Sierra Madre Oriental.


There are currently only three photos in the Zoochat galleries. Notice the colour of the head compared to the bright red cap of the Thick-billed Parrot.


Photo by @devilfish at Loro Parque (Canary Islands).

Maroon-fronted parrots, December 2012 - ZooChat


Photo by @Jakub at Loro Parque (Canary Islands).

Maroon-fronted parrot - August 2018 (breeding station La Vera) - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Thectocercus
One species.

Previously in the genus Aratinga, and sometimes also placed in Psittacara.



Blue-crowned Conure Thectocercus acuticaudatus
Five subspecies: acuticaudatus, haemorrhous, koenigi, neoxena, neumanni.


Distributed across most of South America, and also introduced to parts of the USA. T. a. acuticaudatus is from eastern Bolivia and neighbouring Brazil, south to Argentina; haemorrhous is from northeast Brazil; koenigi is from northeast Colombia and northern Venezuela; neoxena is from Margarita Island off Venezuela; and neumanni is from the highlands of Bolivia.


There are surprisingly few photos on Zoochat of this species. Zooterliste treats most of its listings as being "non-subspecific". Physically the ones present in photos on Zoochat look like the nominate race acuticaudatus.


Photo by @Chlidonias at Landon Creek Bird Sanctuary (New Zealand).

blue-crowned conure (Aratinga acuticaudata) - ZooChat


Photo by @Zooish at Singapore River Safari / River Wonders (Singapore).

River Gems - Southern Blue-crowned Parakeet (Thectocercus acuticaudatus acuticaudatus) - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Deroptyus
One species.

This genus and Pionites (caiques) form a separate genetic group from the other members of the Arini tribe.



Hawk-headed or Red-Fan Parrot Deroptyus accipitrinus
Two subspecies: accipitrinus and fuscifrons.


Found across northern South America, with accipitrinus being found north of the Amazon River and fuscifrons to the south of the Amazon River. The subspecies are easily distinguished by the colouration of the head feathers, as can be seen in the photos used below.


Photo by @Michal Sloviak at Zoo Bojnice (Slovakia) - subspecies accipitrinus.

Red-fan Parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari at Jardim Zoologico de Lisboa (Portugal) - subspecies fuscifrons.

Southern Hawk-headed Parrot at Lisbon Zoo, 24/05/11 - ZooChat


Photo by @devilfish at Palmitos Park (Canary Islands) - subspecies fuscifrons, showing the raised crest.

Southern red-fan parrot - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Pionites
Two to four species, three of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Typically there has just been two species recognised in this genus, the Black-headed Caique Pionites melanocephalus and the Yellow-headed or White-bellied Caique Pionites leucogaster. In recent years all the subspecies of the latter (leucogaster, xanthomerius, xanthurus) have been split into three full species, although this is not followed by all authorities.

Note that there is some variance in how the specific names are spelled in different sources, for example melanocephalus versus melanocephala.



Green-thighed Caique Pionites leucogaster
Monotypic, although the taxa xanthomerius and xanthurus have normally been treated as subspecies.


Found in northern Brazil, south of the Amazon River, as far west as the lower Rio Madeira.


There are only a couple of photos in the galleries which show this species - several other photos labelled as being "Green-thighed Parrots" are actually of the yellow-thighed P. xanthomerius. Of the three yellow-headed Pionites species, this is the only one with green thighs which makes it very easy to identify.


Photo by @Daniel Sörensen at Parrot Zoo (Czech Republic)

Green-thighed parrot (Pionites leucogaster leucogaster) - Parrot Zoo Bošovice - ZooChat


Photo by @ThylacineAlive at Zoo Ostrava (Czech Republic) - adult and juvenile.

Green-Thighed Caiques - ZooChat



Black-headed Caique Pionites melanocephalus
Two subspecies: melanocephalus and pallidus.


Found in northern South America, with melanocephalus from northern Brazil west to Colombia; and pallidus from southeast Colombia to Ecuador and northeastern Peru.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Omnium Goes (Netherlands) - subspecies melanocephalus.

Black-headed parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @Giant Eland at Bioparque la Reserva (Colombia) - subspecies pallidus. Note the cheeks and thighs are yellow rather than orange.

Black-headed caique (Pionites melanocephalus) - ZooChat


Photo by @ronnienl in the wild, Ecuador - subspecies pallidus. This the only wild photo of Pionites in the Zoochat galleries.

Black-headed parrot - ZooChat



Yellow-thighed or Black-legged Caique Pionites xanthomerius
Monotypic. Has more usually been treated as a subspecies of P. leucogaster.


From western Amazonas, in northern Brazil to eastern Peru and northern Bolivia.


Photo by @Tomek at BirdWorld (UK). Note the green tail, which is the easiest way to distinguish this species from the very similar P. xanthurus (which has a yellow tail, as well as having pink feet).

Yellow-thighed Caique (Pionites leucogaster xanthomeria) - ZooChat


Photo by @alexkant at Nordsjaellands Fuglepark & Zoo (Denmark) - adult and juvenile.

White-bellied caique/ Pionites leucogaster xanthomeria - ZooChat



Yellow-tailed Caique Pionites xanthurus
Monotypic. Has more usually been treated as a subspecies of P. leucogaster.


Found in northern Brazil from the Rio Madeira catchment west to the Rio Jurua.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries. There is one photo labelled as showing this species, taken at the Parrot Zoo (now the Lincolnshire Wildlife Park) in the UK, but this is in error. The birds shown in the photo are Yellow-thighed Caiques P. xanthomerius - the tail is not visible in the photo but P. xanthurus have pink feet. The listing currently on Zootierliste for this collection having kept P. xanthurus appears to be directly due to this photo.
IMG_24653 - ZooChat

 

[Chlidonias]

Tribe Androglossini


Alipiopsitta (Yellow-faced Amazon; previously in Amazona or Salvatoria)

Amazona (amazon parrots: about 30 to 35 species)

Brotogeris (eight species)

Hapalopsittaca (four species)

Graydidascalus (Short-tailed Parrot)

Myiopsitta (Quaker or Monk Parakeet: one or two species)

Pionopsitta (Pileated Parrot)

Pionus (8 species)

Pyrilia (7 species; previously in Pionopsitta).

Triclaria (Blue-bellied Parrot)