The Zoochat Photographic Guide to Parrots

Psittacula
Thirteen extant species, twelve of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.



The genus Psittacula, and which species are contained within it, has been considered pretty solid since the 19th Century. However a genetic study published in 2019 suggests that the genus is actually paraphyletic, in part because three other dissimilar genera (Mascarinus, Psittinus, and Tanygnathus) fall well within the Psittacula species genetically. See here for the paper: https://www.researchgate.net/public...nathus_Mascarinus_with_taxonomic_implications


The paper recommends splitting Psittacula into six different genera and having Mascarinus, Psittinus, and Tanygnathus remain as they are, but it has also been suggested that all should be combined as Psittacula (which wouldn't actually make much sense).


Here I have kept all the species within Psittacula as traditionally accepted, but in the 2019 paper the genus was split as follows:

Alexandrinus for eques (echo), the extinct exsul, and krameri.
Belocercus for longicaudata.
Himalayapsitta for cyanocephala, himalayana, finschii and roseata.
Nicopsitta for calthropae and columboides.
Palaeornis for eupatria and the extinct wardi.
Psittacula for alexandri, caniceps and derbiana.

However the type species of Palaeornis (originally erected in the 1800s) is P. alexandri which makes the above generic usage impossible.

In the above treatment the species themselves largely remain the same - simply moved to different genera - although the authors do recommend splitting P. krameri and P. alexandri into two species each. Belocercus, Palaeornis, and of course Psittacula are generic names originally erected in the 1800s, while the other three are recent creations.



All but one of the species are represented in the Zoochat galleries. That the Nicobar Parakeet is not depicted is not at all unexpected - it is barely known in the wild state and isn't kept in captivity - however it is very surprising that there are several species which are represented by only a handful of photos, some of which are common species in aviculture such as the Blossom-headed Parakeet.



Extinct species


Mascarene Grey Parakeet Psittacula bensoni
Extinct. Variably placed in either Psittacula or in Lophopsittacus (the latter genus otherwise containing only the extinct Broad-billed Parrot L. mauritianus of Mauritius). This species was from the Indian Ocean islands of Reunion and Mauritius, from where it became extinct in the 1730s and 1760s respectively, and is known from historical accounts of grey parakeets, a single sketch from life, and from subfossil remains .

Newton's Parakeet Psittacula exsul
Extinct. Endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Rodrigues. The species is known from several historical accounts, drawings of live birds, and there are still two existing museum specimens (representing both male and female birds). Colouration in most accounts and of the museum specimens is grey or blue, although some accounts referred to green birds as well suggesting that there were two colour morphs. The species was last recorded in 1875 (the male museum specimen).

Seychelles Parakeet Psittacula wardi
Extinct. Endemic to the Seychelles Islands near Madagascar. This species was very similar to the extant Alexandrine Parakeet P. eupatria, although smaller, and was clearly derived from that species whereas the Mascarene Islands species were derived from the Indian P. krameri. It was last recorded in the early 1880s. There are two existing museum specimens, in Liverpool and New York.



Extant species


Moustached Parakeet Psittacula alexandri
Eight subspecies: abbotti, alexandri, cala, dammermani, fasciata, kangeanensis, major, peronica.


Also known as Red-breasted Parakeet.


This species may be separable as two species: P. alexandri from Java and Bali, with the subspecies dammermani and kangeanensis from islands in the Java Sea; and P. fasciata from mainland Asia, with the other four subspecies from islands off Sumatra and the Andaman Islands. The P. alexandri group is monomorphic, whereas the P. fasciata group is sexually-dimorphic. The bill colouration is the most noticeable difference, being wholly red in both sexes in the P. alexandri group whereas in the P. fasciata group the male has a bill with a red upper mandible and black lower mandible while the female has a wholly black bill.


Found in mainland Asia from northeast India across Thailand to Indochina and southeast China, as well as on Java, Bali and some small islands or island groups off Java and Sumatra, as well as on the Andaman Islands. P. a. abbotti is from the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal (east of India). P. a. alexandri is from Java and Bali, and has been introduced to Kalimantan (on Borneo). P. a. cala is from Simeulue Island off Sumatra. P. a. dammermani is from the Karimunjawa Islands near Java. P. a. fasciata is found from northeast India across Thailand to Indochina and southeast China, and has also been introduced elsewhere in the region including to Singapore and Hong Kong. P. a. kangeanensisis from the Kangean Islands near Java. P. a. major is from the Banyak Islands off Sumatra. P. a. peronica is from Nias Island near Sumatra.


Photo by @Sicarius at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - nominate subspecies alexandri, in which the sexes are monomorphic.


Javan moustached parakeet (Psittacula alexandri alexandri) - ZooChat


Photo by @Tomek at Weltvogelpark Walsrode (Germany) - subspecies dammermani, in which the sexes are monomorphic.


Dammerman's Moustached Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri dammermanni), October 2020 - ZooChat


Photo by @George_Renard at Shanghai Zoo (China) - subspecies fasciata, with the upper bird being male and the lower bird the female. Note, in particular, the colouration of the bills which is entirely black in the female but in which the upper mandible is red in the male.


2017-01-30 Red-breasted parakeet - ZooChat



Layard's Parakeet Psittacula calthropae
Monotypic.


Also known as Emerald-collared Parakeet.


The scientific name was originally spelled calthrapae (in 1849), which was amended in 1852 to calthropae because it was named after Layard's wife whose maiden name was Calthrop. There was a mistaken corruption to calthorpae in 1900 (due to the lady's name being misspelled as Calthorp), which was resurrected in the 1930s and took hold for most of the 20th Century until 1990. At the moment both calthrapae and calthropae are being used depending on author.


Endemic to Sri Lanka.


Photo by @Kakapo at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - female bird (males have a red bill). This is the only photo of this species in the Zoochat galleries.


Psittacula calthorpae - ZooChat



Nicobar Parakeet Psittacula caniceps
Monotypic.


Endemic to the Nicobar Islands, which lie north of Sumatra and west of Thailand.


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



Malabar Parakeet Psittacula columboides
Monotypic.


Also known as Blue-winged Parakeet.


Endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India.


Photo by @Astrobird at Adelaide Zoo (Australia) - male bird; note the red bill.


Malabar Parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @vogelcommando at a bird show in the Netherlands - female bird; note the black bill.


Malabar parakeet - ZooChat



Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala
Monotypic.


Found in Sri Lanka and throughout India to Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.


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


Plum-headed parakeet - ZooChat


Photo by @vogelcommando at Vogelopvangcentrum Breda (Netherlands) - female bird.


Plum-headed parakeet - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias at Tweeters and Friends (NZ) - a pair of juvenile birds; the male is on the right but in juvenile plumage both sexes look similar to females.


Tweeters and Friends - young Plum-headed Parakeets (Psittacula cyanocephala) - ZooChat

 

Derbyan Parakeet Psittacula derbiana
Monotypic.


Also known as Lord Derby's Parakeet.


Found in montane forests of the eastern Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, from northeast India to Yunnan.


Photo by @Gil at Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) - male bird.


Lord Derby's parakeet (October 2020) - ZooChat


Photo by @gentle lemur at Chester Zoo (UK) - female bird.


Female Derbyan parrakeet - ZooChat



Echo Parakeet Psittacula eques
Two subspecies (echo and eques) although the latter is extinct.


The Echo Parakeet is native to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, and is the only parrot species still extant in the Mascarene Islands. The subspecies echo of Mauritius and eques of Reunion have variably been treated as separate species or as the same species. The latter subspecies became extinct in the 1730s.


Photo by @Tomek at Jersey Zoo (UK) - male bird.


Mauritius Parakeet (Psittacula echo) - the only living bird outside Mauriti - ZooChat



Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria
Five subspecies: avensis, eupatria, magnirostris, nipalensis, siamensis.


Found through most of south and southeast (mainland) Asia. P. e. avensis is found from Assam to Burma. P. e. eupatria is from Sri Lanka and India. P. e. magnirostris is from the Andaman and Coco Islands in the Bay of Bengal. P. e. nipalensis is found across the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, from Pakistan across to Bangladesh. P. e. siamensis is found in Thailand and Indochina.


Captive birds are likely to be a mix of subspecies. The subspecies siamensis is distinctive in having yellow soft parts (the legs and eye-rings), but the other subspecies are quite similar to one another. The first couple of photos below are used just to show the sexual differences in the species.


Photo by @Parrotsandrew at The Jungle (UK) - male bird.


Alexandrine Parakeet, 13th September 2013 - ZooChat


Photo by @Parrotsandrew at The Jungle (UK) - female bird.


Alexandrine Parakeet, 13th September 2013 - ZooChat


Photo by @J I N X at Lahore Zoo (Pakistan) - male bird, probably of the local subspecies nipalensis.


Alexandrine parakeet - Lahore zoo 8/4/2017 - ZooChat


Photo by @alexkant at Nong Nooch Tropical Botanic Garden (Thailand) - female bird of the subspecies siamensis. Note the colour of the soft parts (eye-ring and legs) which are yellow in this subspecies but grey in the others.


Siamese Alexandrine parakeet/ Psittacula eupatria siamensis - ZooChat



Grey-headed Parakeet Psittacula finschii
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies of P. himalayana.


Found from northeast India across Burma and Thailand to southern China and Indochina.


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


Grey-headed or Finsch's parakeet - Psittacula finschii - ZooChat


Slaty-headed Parakeet Psittacula himalayana
Monotypic. The Grey-headed Parakeet Psittacula finschii was formerly treated as a subspecies.


Found in the montane forests of the Himalayas, from Afghanistan across the northern areas of the Indian subcontinent to Assam.


Photo by @Jo Kuyken of privately-held birds.


Slaty-headed parakeet (Psittacula himalayana) - ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari at NiederRheinPark Plantaria (Germany) - male bird. The red wing-patch which only male birds have is just visible through the overlying feathers. Males also have a longer tail than females.


Slaty-headed Parakeet at Plantaria 14/05/09 - ZooChat



Ringneck Parakeet Psittacula krameri
Four subspecies: borealis, krameri, manillensis, parvirostris.


Also known as Rose-ringed Parakeet.


The Ringneck Parakeet may in fact be two separate species, with P. krameri in Africa (including the subspecies krameri of north-central Africa and parvirostris of northeast Africa) and P. manillensis in Asia (including the subspecies borealis of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent from Pakistan to Burma, and manillensis of Sri Lanka and peninsular India). Genetic studies have shown that the Echo Parakeet P. eques echo is more closely related to P. manillensis than the latter is to P. krameri.


There do not appear to be any African Ringnecks pictured in the Zoochat galleries. There are a couple of photos of wild birds of the two Asian subspecies. Indian Ringnecks are very common birds in captivity, but how pure they are is another matter. Studies of the wild population in the UK suggests that they are a hybrid mix of the two Indian subspecies and the same is likely to be true for the captive population as a whole. Below I have used a photo of a captive pair just to show the sexual differences, and then two photos of wild birds.


Photo by @KevinB at GaiaZOO Kerkrade (Netherlands) - pair of birds showing the sexual differences in colouration. The male is the bird on the right.


Indian ring-necked parakeets (Psittacula krameri), 2019-03-30 - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, India - pair of birds of the subspecies borealis, with the male on left (apart for the neck-ring, note also the blue on the head), and female on right.


Indian Ringnecks (Psittacula krameri borealis) - ZooChat


Photo by @ralph in the wild, Sri Lanka - female bird of the subspecies manillensis.


Rose-ringed parakeet - ZooChat



Long-tailed Parakeet Psittacula longicauda
Five subspecies: defontainei, longicauda, modesta, nicobarica, tytleri.


Found in southeast Asia, mainly in the Greater Sundas (excluding Java) but also on Peninsula Malaysia. P. l. defontainei is from the Riau, Natuna and Belitung Islands. P. l. longicauda is found from Peninsular Malaysia through Singapore to Sumatra and Borneo. P. l. modesta is from Enggano Island near Sumatra. P. l. nicobarica is from the Nicobar Islands north of Sumatra. P. l. tytleri is from the Andaman and Coco Islands in the Bay of Bengal.


There are very few photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries - there were just two in fact, neither of which showed the very long tail which gives the species its common and scientific names. I therefore uploaded an extra photo of a wild bird, even though it is mostly in silhouette, in order to illustrate this feature.


Photo by @jayjds2 at San Diego Zoo (USA) - male bird of the subspecies longicauda.


Malayan long-tailed parakeet - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias in the wild, Sabah - bird of the subspecies longicauda showing the length of the tail.


Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) - ZooChat



Blossom-headed Parakeet Psittacula roseata
Two subspecies: juneae and roseata.


Found from northeast India across to Indochina and southern China. P. r. juneae is found across most of the range from about Tripura eastwards, while P. r. roseata is found in the small remaining portion of the range in Bhutan, Sikkim, Bangladesh and northern Burma. Given that there appears to be no separating factor and that sources differ on where the change in distribution lies, it is likely that the subspecies aren't even valid.



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


Blossom-headed parakeet - ZooChat


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


Blossom-headed parakeet - ZooChat

 

Psittinus
Two species.

A genetic study published in 2019 found that this genus falls within Psittacula and recommends that the latter genus should be split into multiple genera (leaving Psittinus as a valid genus). See the post for Psittacula for more information on this.



Simeulue Parrot Psittinus abbotti
Monotypic. Formerly treated as a subspecies of P. cyanurus - split in the HBW on the basis of larger size and differing colouration (and not on genetics at all), which has since been followed by other sources.


Endemic to the islands of Simeulue and Siumat, off the west coast of Sumatra.


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



Blue-rumped Parrot Psittinus cyanurus
Two subspecies: cyanurus and pontius.


P. c. cyanurus is found from the Thai-Malay Peninsula through to Sumatra and Borneo, while P. c. pontius is from the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra.


Photo by @Chlidonias at Penang Bird Park (Malaysia) - male of the subspecies cyanurus.


male blue-rumped parrot (Psittinus cyanurus) - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias at Dusit Zoo (Thailand) - male of the subspecies cyanurus, showing the blue rump from which the species gets its name.


male blue-rumped parrot (Psittinus cyanurus) - ZooChat


Photo by @Chlidonias at Dusit Zoo (Thailand) - female of the subspecies cyanurus. Note the bill and head colour in comparison to the male bird.


blue-rumped parrots (Psittinus cyanurus) - ZooChat

 

Tanygnathus
Five species



All the species in this genus are large parrots with seemingly-oversized bills, and which have predominantly green plumage. Distribution covers the Indonesian archipelago and the Philippines. Two species (T. lucionensis and T. megalorhynchos) are monomorphic, whereas in the other species the sexes can be easily distinguished by bill colour (red in males, white in females). The Black-lored Parrot T. gramineus is not kept in captivity and is not pictured in the Zoochat galleries, but all the other species are represented.


The Blue-backed Parrot T. everetti and Azure-backed Parrot T. sumatranus were formerly treated as a single species called the Blue-backed Parrot T. sumatranus. They were split in 2019 because the Philippine and Indonesian subspecies (respectively) formed two distinct morphological groups, including that the former has a blue back and red irises and the latter has only blue on the wings and has white irises.


A genetic study published in 2019 found that this genus falls within Psittacula and recommends that the latter genus should be split into multiple genera (leaving Tanygnathus as a valid genus). See the post for Psittacula for more information on this.



Blue-backed Parrot Tanygnathus everetti
Three subspecies: burbidgii, everetti, freeri. A fourth subspecies duponti may be separated from everetti.


Native to the Philippine Islands. T. e. burbidgii is from the Sulu Archipelago. T. e. everetti is from the central and southern Philippines (if separated, T. e. duponti is from the island of Luzon). T. e. freeri is from the island of Polillo.


Photo by @Nick@Amsterdam at Avilon Zoo (Philippines) - male of the subspecies everetti (or duponti if separated). Note the red bill (white in females). In comparison to T. sumatranus note also the blue back and the red iris.


Male Müller's Blue-backed Parrot (Tanygnathus sumatranus) - ZooChat



Black-lored Parrot Tanygnathus gramineus
Monotypic.


Endemic to the island of Buru in the south Moluccas.


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



Blue-naped Parrot Tanygnathus lucionensis
Three or four subspecies: hybridus, lucionensis, salvadorii, talautensis. The last two may be synonymised (as talautensis).


Found mainly in the Philippines. T. l. hybridus is from the north Philippine island of Polillo. T. l. lucionensis is from the north Philippine islands of Luzon and Mindoro. T. l. salvadorii is from the central and southern Philipine islands, and has been introduced to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah (Borneo). T. l. talautensis is from the Talaud Islands.


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


Blue-naped parrots, December 2012 - ZooChat


Photo by @LaughingDove in the wild, Borneo - subspecies salvadorii.


Blue-naped Parrot - Tanjung Aru Beach - ZooChat



Great-billed Parrot Tanygnathus megalorynchos
Eight subspecies: affinis, djampaea, floris, hellmayri, megalorhynchos, subaffinis, sumbensis, viridipennis.


Found in the Lesser Sundas and Moluccas through to islands directly west of New Guinea. T. m. affinis is from the southern Moluccas. T. m. djampaea is from the Tanahjampea and Kalao Islands south of Sulawesi. T. m. floris is from Flores. T. m. hellmayri is from Timor, Semau and Roti. T. m. megalorhynchos is found from the Talaud and Sangihe Islands through to islands off New Guinea's Vogelkop Peninsula. T. m. subaffinis is from the Tanimbar Islands and Babar Island. T. m. sumbensis is from Sumba. T. m. viridipennis is from the Kalaotoa and Madu Islands south of Sulawesi.


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


Great-billed Parrot at Loro Parque, 08/11/10 - ZooChat


Photo by @gentle lemur at Blackpool Zoo (UK). Unknown subspecies. This is an older photo so the colour is not accurate to life, but it shows the bird from the front which other photos in the Zoochat galleries do not.


Great-billed parrot, 1983 - ZooChat



Azure-backed Parrot Tanygnathus sumatranus
Two subspecies, although these may be synonymised: sangirensis and sumatranus.


Despite the scientific name this species is not found in Sumatra. The subspecies T. s. sumatranus is found in Sulawesi and neighbouring island groups, while T. s. sangirensis is native to the Talaud and Sangihe Islands.


Photo by @Maguari at Zoo Veldhoven (Netherlands) - male bird of the subspecies sumatranus. Note the red bill (white in females), and also note the white iris (as compared to a red iris in T. everetti).


Blue-backed Parrot at NOP, Veldhoven 16/05/09 - ZooChat


Photo by @Nick@Amsterdam at Avilon Zoo (Philippines) - female birds. Note the white bill and white iris. Despite these birds being kept in a Philippine zoo alongside T. everetti the white irises show them to be the Indonesian species. I checked some other photo sources and the Avilon Zoo does indeed keep both species. They are labelled as being the subspecies T. s. sumatranus by @alexkant (on his own site).


Female Müller's Blue-backed Parrot (Tanygnathus sumatranus) - ZooChat

 

Family Psittacidae
Two subfamilies: Psittacinae and Arinae.


As discussed earlier in the thread, there have been differing opinions over the years as to how the parrots are divided into families. At the most restricted all species were placed in a single family, Psittacidae. Currently the most widely used taxonomy uses several families, of which Psittacidae houses only the African parrots of the genera Poicephalus and Psittacus, and all the New World parrot species.


*Subfamily Psittacinae: two African genera with 12 species (African Grey Parrots and the Poicephalus species, e.g. the Senegal Parrot).


*Subfamily Arinae: about 35 New World genera with about 180 species. The taxonomy of the American parrots is uncertain, with multiple tribes proposed. The tribes Arini (for the macaws and most of the conures) and Androglossini (for most of the other species including the amazons) are generally accepted, with other possible tribes including Forpini (for the single parrotlet genus Forpus) and Amoropsittacini (other parrotlet genera: Bolborhynchus, Nannopsittaca, Psilopsiagon and Touit).

 

Family Psittacidae

Subfamily Psittacinae
Two genera


Traditionally the Vasa Parrots (Coracopsis) of Madagascar were thought to be related to these two African genera but now are considered to instead be related to the Asiatic parrots, most closely to the Pesquet's Parrot of New Guinea. The African Lovebirds (Agapornis) have generally been connected to them as well, mostly for geographical reasons, but are now known to be closely related to the Asian Hanging Parrots (Loriculus).


Poicephalus
Niam-Niam Parrot Poicephalus crassus
Brown-headed Parrot Poicephalus cryptoxanthus
Yellow-fronted Parrot Poicephalus flavifrons
Brown-necked Parrot Poicephalus fuscicollis
Jardine's (Red-fronted) Parrot Poicephalus gulielmi
Meyer's Parrot Poicephalus meyeri
Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus
Ruppell's Parrot Poicephalus rueppellii
Red-bellied Parrot Poicephalus rufiventris
Senegal Parrot Poicephalus senegalus

Psittacus
African Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus
Timneh Grey Parrot Psittacus timneh

 

Poicephalus
Ten species.



A genus of small to medium-sized short-tailed parrots endemic to Africa. Several species are common avicultural subjects but others are more unusual or even unknown in captivity. Two species are not depicted at all in the Zoochat galleries (the Niam Niam Parrot P. crassus and the Cape Parrot P. robustus), and most of the other species are depicted by only a very few photos each.


About half the species are monomorphic (i.e. the male and female look the same). In most species there also isn't a lot of difference in appearance between subspecies, with them being based largely on distribution and subjective colour shades.



Niam-Niam Parrot Poicephalus crassus
Monotypic.


Found in a relatively small area of central Africa centred on CAR, from southern Chad to northern DRC and South Sudan.


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



Brown-headed Parrot Poicephalus cryptoxanthus
Two subspecies: cryptoxanthus and tanganyikae.


Found down the east coast of Africa from Kenya to South Africa. P. c. cryptoxanthus is the more southerly subspecies, found in northeastern South Africa, southern Mozambique and southeast Zimbabawe, while P. c. tanganyikae is found from Mozambique and Zimbabwe up to Kenya.


There are only two photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries. The species is sexually-monomorphic.


Photo by @carl the birder in the wild, South Africa - subspecies cryptoxanthus.


brown-headed parrot (Poicephalus cryptoxanthus) - ZooChat


Photo by @Vision at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - listed on Zootierliste as being non-subspecific.


Brown-headed parrot, Poicephalus cryptoxanthus - ZooChat



Yellow-fronted Parrot Poicephalus flavifrons
Two subspecies: aurantiiceps and flavifrons.


Endemic to Ethiopia. P. f. aurantiiceps is found in southwest Ethiopia, while P. f. flavifrons is found in central Ethiopia around Addis Ababa and in the highlands of northern Ethiopia.

The species is sexually-monomorphic.


Photo by @Maguari in the wild, Ethiopia - subspecies flavifrons.


Yellow-fronted Parrot at Bishangari Lodge, 14/10/14 - ZooChat


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


Yellow-fronted parrot (Poicephalus flavifrons) - ZooChat


Brown-necked Parrot Poicephalus fuscicollis
Two subspecies: fuscicollis and suahelicus.

Both these subspecies were formerly treated as subspecies of P. robustus which has since been split off as a monotypic species (the Cape Parrot). The subspecies suahelicus is alternatively known as the Grey-headed Parrot.


Found in two very disjunct populations, with P. f. fuscicollis being found in West Africa from Senegal to Ghana and Togo, and P. f. suahelicus being found in south-eastern Africa from Tanzania to the northern edges of Botswana and South Africa.


There are about a dozen photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries, although the split from P. robustus means that several are labelled as being Cape Parrots.


Photo by @ThylacineAlive at Tropiquaria (UK) - male (?) bird of the subspecies fuscicollis. Females typically show a pink crown of varying size, as can be seen in the photo below of a suahelicus female, but some males do have a few pink feathers.


Brown-Necked Parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @Newzooboy at the National Zoo of South Africa - male bird of the subspecies suahelicus.


Brown-necked Parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @Parrotsandrew at Newquay Zoo (UK) - female bird of the subspecies suahelicus. Note the colourful crown which the male lacks.


Brown-necked Parrot, 7th September 2010 - ZooChat



Jardine's Parrot Poicephalus gulielmi
Three subspecies: fantiensis, gulielmi, massaicus.


Also known as Red-fronted Parrot.


Found in three separate populations strung across central Africa. P. g. fantiensis is the westernmost subspecies, found from Liberia to Ghana. P. g. gulielmi is found across the Congo basin from Nigeria to Uganda. P. g. massaicus is the most easterly subspecies, found in the highlands covering the border area of Kenya and Tanzania.


This is one of the few Poicephalus species which has lots of photos present in the Zoochat galleries. Going by Zootierliste all three subspecies are kept in European zoos but all the ones pictured on Zoochat are of the nominate subspecies gulielmi. There are some photos from Duisburg Zoo labelled as being P. g. fantiensis, a designation which Zootierliste specifically notes is incorrectly applied. There don't seem to be any photos of massaicus. Curiously, most of these photos show birds in very poor condition with, e.g., heavily-plucked feathers or aberrant colouration. Therefore I have used a photo of an adult bird from a Malaysian zoo, although I don't know which subspecies it is.


Photo by @Chlidonias at the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park (Malaysia). This species is sexually-monomorphic.


Red-fronted Parrot (Poicephalus gulielmi) - ZooChat


Photo by @Zooish at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore) - juvenile bird (lacking the red crown).


African Treetops - Jardine's Parrot - ZooChat

 

Meyer's Parrot Poicephalus meyeri
Six subspecies: damarensis, matschiei, meyeri, reichenowi, saturatus, transvaalensis.


Also known by the unhelpful name of Brown Parrot.


Found in a wide arc stretching from west-central Africa down the eastern side of the continent to south-western Africa. P. m. damarensis is from the southwest, in the area bordering the three countries of Botswana, Namibia and Angola. P. m. matschiei is from south-central Africa, centred on Zambia north into southern DRC and Tanzania. P. m. meyeri is the northernmost subspecies, stretching from Cameroon and Chad east to western Ethiopia. P. m. reichenowi is from the southwest (north of P. m. damarensis, mainly in Angola. P. m. saturatus is from central-east Africa between the ranges of P. m. meyeri in the north and P. m. matschiei to the south. P. m. transvaalensis is the southernmost subspecies, east of P. m. damarensis, mostly in Zimbabwe and eastern Botswana, reaching also south to Transvaal (hence the name).


There are a handful of photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries, two of which are of wild birds which I have used below as they are of known subspecies. All the photos of birds from European zoos are listed by Zootierliste as being of non-subspecific status except for the most recent Zoo Veldhoven ones. Zootierliste says that these birds were of the subspecies P. m. matschiei but that the zoo "incorrectly" labelled them as P. m. meyeri. I'm not sure what this is based on because a photo in the gallery for that zoo depicts a bird which is a better colour match for meyeri than for matschiei: here by @vogelcommando - Meyer's parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @Maguari in the wild, Botswana - subspecies damarensis.


Meyer's Parrot, Khwai Community Area, Botswana, 24/04/16 - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Tanzania - subspecies saturatus.


Brown Parrot - ZooChat



Cape Parrot Poicephalus robustus
Monotypic.


Formerly the Cape Parrot included three subspecies - fuscicollis, robustus, and suahelicus - but this was split based on genetics, morphology, and ecological differences. The Cape Parrot became the monotypic P. robustus while the other two subspecies were split as the Brown-necked Parrot P. fuscicollis.


Endemic to a very small range within South Africa.


There are no photos of this species in the Zoochat galleries. There are several photos labelled as being Cape Parrots, however all of them actually depict the now-split species P. fuscicollis.



Ruppell's Parrot Poicephalus rueppellii
Monotypic.


Found only in a small area of southwest Africa, specifically within Angola and southwest Namibia.


Photo by @Sicarius at Loro Parque (Canary Islands) - male bird.


Rüppell's parrot (Poicephalus rueppellii) - ZooChat


Photo by @Zooish at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore) - female bird; males of this species don't have the bright blue on the underparts.


African Treetops - Ruppell's Parrot - ZooChat



Red-bellied Parrot Poicephalus rufiventris
Monotypic.


Also known as Orange-bellied Parrot although obviously this is also the common name of an Australian species, Neophema chrysogaster.


Found in northeast Africa, from Somalia and Ethiopia south to Tanzania.


Photo by @Zooish at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore) - male bird.


African Treetops - Red-bellied Parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @Goura at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore) - female bird.


Poicephalus rufiventris - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix in the wild, Tanzania - juvenile male. Note the more subdued colouration compared to an adult male.


Orange-bellied Parrot, young male - ZooChat



Senegal Parrot Poicephalus senegalus
Two or three subspecies: mesotypus, senegalus, versteri. The first is mostly now synonymised with P. s. senegalus.


Found across West Africa. P. s. mesotypus forms the eastern part of the range of P. s. senegalus, in eastern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, and southwest Chad. P. s. senegalus occurs in the West African dry zone from Mauritania, Senegal and Guinea eastwards to Nigeria where it then merges into P. s. mesotypus. P. s. versteri occurs in the wet zone of West Africa (below the dry zone) in the rainforests from Liberia to Nigeria.


The subspecies can be distinguished by colour, with P. s. senegalus having yellow underparts and P. s. versteri having bright reddish-orange underparts. The underparts of P. s. mesotypus are pale orange, mid-way between the other two subspecies, but it is really more of a cline from the yellow of P. s. senegalus.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Zoo Veldhoven (Netherlands) - subspecies senegalus.


Senegal parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @Parrotsandrew at Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park (UK) - subspecies versteri (listed as being non-subspecific on Zootierliste).


Senegal Parrot, 21st August 2014 - ZooChat

 

Psittacus
Two species.


As with Poicephalus, this genus is endemic to Africa. The two species were formerly lumped together (as P. erithacus) but have been split on morphological and genetic evidence. They are very easy to distinguish from photographs due to the different colouration of the bill and tail.


There are a lot of photos of P. erithacus in the Zoochat galleries, but fewer than ten of P. timneh.



African Grey Parrot Psittacus erithacus
Monotypic, although the subspecies princeps has been variably recognised (see below).


Found in forests across central to east Africa, from Nigeria east to Kenya and Tanzania, and south to Angola, as well as on the islands of Principe, Sao Tome, and Bioko. The population on Principe, in the Gulf of Guinea, was originally described as a full species, P. princeps, later reduced to a subspecies of P. erithacus. The range of this subspecies has varied widely, from being restricted to Principe to also including parts of the continent (because some of the more westerly forms, such as those from Ghana, are smaller and darker than the eastern forms). The subspecies was later discarded, although it still appears on various websites. Genetic studies have since shown that the Principe Island population is actually formed from colonisations by both P. timneh and P. erithacus.


Photo by @gentle lemur at Paradise Park (UK). There are a few aberrant red feathers on the nape.


African grey parrot - ZooChat


Photo by @KevinB at Antwerp Zoo (Belgium), showing the contrast of the bright red tail to the grey body.


Congo African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus), 2021-06-12 - ZooChat



Timneh Grey Parrot Psittacus timneh
Monotypic.


Found in the rainforests of West Africa, from Guinea-Bissau to Cote d'Ivorie.


Photo by @Chlidonias at Parrot Ranch (NZ). Note the horn-coloured upper mandible (as opposed to the fully-black bill in P. erithacus.


Timneh grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus timneh), Parrot Ranch - ZooChat


Photo by @Zaz at Kishinev Zoo (Moldova). Note the colour of the tail (dull maroon rather than the bright red of P. erithacus).


Western Grey Parrot in Kishinev Zoo - ZooChat

 

Family Psittacidae

Subfamily Arinae
Two to four tribes: Arini, Androglossini, Amoropsittacini, and Forpini

The taxonomic breakdown of the New World parrots is still uncertain, with multiple tribes proposed. There are about 180 species in total contained within about 35 genera. The tribes Arini (for the macaws and most of the conures) and Androglossini (for most of the other species, including the amazons) are generally accepted, with other possible tribes including Forpini (for the parrotlet genus Forpus) and Amoropsittacini (for other parrotlet genera).

Here I will use these four tribes. The genera will be presented in the order below, which is largely alphabetical within each tribe, although I have separated the Arini into three blocks for macaws, conures, and Hawk-headed Parrot / caiques.


Tribe Arini

Macaws:
Anodorhynchus (blue macaws: three species)
Ara (macaws: eight species)
Cyanopsitta (Spix's Macaw)
Diopsittaca (Red-shouldered Macaw: one or two species)
Orthopsittaca (Red-bellied Macaw)
Primolius (small macaws: three species)

Conures:
Aratinga (yellow conures: six species; including Nandayus)
Conuropsis (Carolina Parakeet)
Cyanoliseus (Patagonian Conure)
Enicognathus (Slender-billed Conures: two species)
Eupsittula (pretty conures: six species, previously in Aratinga)
Guaruba (Golden or Queen of Bavaria's Conure)
Leptosittaca (Golden-plumed Parakeet)
Ognorhynchus (Yellow-eared Parrot)
Psittacara (green conures: 12 species, previously in Aratinga)
Pyrrhura (Pyrrhura conures: 15 to 30 species)
Rhynchopsitta (Thick-billed Parrots: two species)
Thectocercus (Blue-crowned Conure, previously in Aratinga)

Hawk-headed Parrot and caiques:
Deroptyus (Hawk-headed or Red-Fan Parrot)
Pionites (caiques: four species)


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)


Tribe Forpini

Forpus (parrotlets: nine species)


Tribe Amoropsittacini

Bolborhynchus (three species)
Nannopsittaca (two species)
Psilopsiagon (two species; previously in Bolborhynchus)
Touit (eight species)

 

Anodorhynchus
Three species, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.


The members of this genus, the so-called "blue macaws" from the palm-savannahs of central South America, are the largest of the macaws and are all quite similar to one another, having entirely blue plumage with yellow skin around the bill. One species is probably extinct, another critical, and the third endangered.



Glaucous Macaw Anodorhynchus glaucus
Monotypic.


Probably extinct. Originally found in south-central South America, in the region of north Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and southwest Brazil. There have been only very few records in the 20th Century. The IUCN, which lists the species as "Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)", says the last "likely" reports were from Paraguay in the late 1990s and 2001 although I don't know what these refer to. The last confirmed bird was one kept at the Buenos Aires Zoo until 1938 - although there are suggestions this bird was actually a Lear's Macaw, in which case the last definite examples were from some decades earlier.


Photo of a museum specimen by @TeaLovingDave at Museum fur Naturkunde (Germany).


Glaucous Macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus) study skin - an individual which died at Zoo Berlin in 1911. - ZooChat



Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
Monotypic.


Occurs in three separate populations in central and eastern South America, in the eastern Amazon Basin and in the Cerrado (both areas being entirely within Brazil) and in the Pantanal, which covers the border area of Bolivia, Paraguay and southwestern Brazil.


Photo by @Goura at Bali Bird Park (Indonesia).


Hyacinth macaw - ZooChat


Photo by @Therabu at Paris Zoological Gardens (France).


Hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) - ZooChat



Lear's Macaw Anodorhynchus leari
Monotypic.


Now found only in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Formerly more widespread across Brazil's caatinga (arid thorn forest).


Photo by @gentle lemur at Pairi Daiza (Belgium).


Lear's macaws - ZooChat


Photo by @GregOz at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore).


Lear's Macaw - ZooChat

 

Ara
Eight living species, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The species in the genera Diopsittaca, Orthopsittaca and Primolius were formerly also placed in Ara.



Hypothetical extinct macaw species:

There are quite a few hypothetical "extinct" species of macaws from the Caribbean islands, known only from the writings of European travellers of the 16th and 17th Centuries. Some of these "species" may have just been out-of-place extant species (i.e. South American species taken as pets to Caribbean islands), but equally they may have been genuine endemic macaws given that most of these islands supported endemic Amazona parrots and it is known that there really were at least some macaw species on Caribbean islands such as Cuba. Without specimens or subfossil remains they must remain hypothetical.

Ara gossei of Jamaica was based on one specimen shot in 1765, which no longer exists. The specimen was described as being very similar to the Cuban Macaw Ara tricolor and some authors have thus treated it as a subspecies of that bird, namely Ara tricolor gossei, or consider to be an actual Cuban bird translocated to the island. It seems possible from written accounts that the Cuban Macaw was found across the three islands of Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola.

Ara erythrocephala, also of Jamaica, was based on a written description of a single bird. It seems very unlikely that an island the size of Jamaica would have supported more than one species of macaw.

Ara martinicus of Martinique, based solely on one written record from the 1630s, may have been describing Blue and Gold Macaws Ara ararauna traded to the island from mainland South America as pets.

Ara atwoodi of Dominica is known only from the writings of one author from 1791, who described their appearance and habits, and claimed that they were "in great plenty" on the island. Colouration in his description was green and yellow, with red wings and tail, and with a naked red face.Despite the lack of known subfossil remains, this seems likely to have been a genuine species.


....................................................................


Extinct macaw species:

St Croix or Puerto Rican Macaw Ara autochthones
Known only from subfossil bones from pre-European midden sites on the islands of St Croix and Puerto Rico. Bones from Montserrat may belong to this species or to the Lesser Antillean Macaw Ara guadeloupensis.

Lesser Antillean Macaw Ara guadeloupensis
Still generally treated as a hypothetical species, but it was recorded on the island of Guadeloupe by numerous authors of the 16th to 18th Centuries, being noted as very common in the writings of the 16th and 17th Centuries; however, by 1760 they were recorded as being rare. It was described as being similar to the extant Scarlet Macaw Ara macao but smaller. A subfossil ulna found in 2001 on the islet of Marie Galante off Guadeloupe was originally thought to belong to a macaw species but later re-identified as being from an Amazona parrot. A bone found on the same islet in 2015 was identified as being from an Ara macaw and pre-dated human arrival on the island (thereby showing it to not be a captive bird). Subfossil bones have also been found on the island of Montserrat which may belong to this species or to the extinct St Croix Macaw Ara autochthones.

Cuban Macaw Ara tricolor
Known from multiple contemporary writings, from specimens, and from subfossil remains. They were also exported alive for zoos and private trade (Wikipedia suggests "perhaps thousands" of birds were sent alive to Europe). There are 19 museum specimens still in existence. The last known bird was shot in 1864, although they probably survived longer in other parts of the island. Historical accounts also describe macaws on neighbouring Hispaniola which, if true, may have been this species. Birds from Jamaica, described as Ara gossei, were likely also of this species.


Photo of a museum specimen of Cuban Macaw by @Fishapod at the Museum fur Naturkunde (Germany).


Cuban macaw - ZooChat

 

Extant macaw species:



Buffon's or Great Green Macaw Ara ambiguus
Two subspecies: ambiguus and guayaquilensis.


Distribution is mostly in the lowlands of eastern Central America, from Honduras south to northwest South America (Colombia and Ecuador). The subspecies guayaquilensis is restricted to western Ecuador.


Photo by @Sik Chung Lam at Ocean Park Hong Kong (Hong Kong). I would imagine that birds in general aviculture are all of the nominate subspecies ambiguus.


Buffon's macaw (Ara ambiguus) - ZooChat



Blue and Gold Macaw Ara ararauna
Monotypic.

Also known as the Blue and Yellow Macaw, Gold and Blue Macaw, etc.


Distribution covers most of South America, ranging from Panama to southeast Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.


Photo by @Hix at Birdworld Kuranda (Australia).


Blue-and-Gold Macaw - ZooChat


Photo by @NRJMelvinT at Parrot World (France).


Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) - ZooChat



Green-winged Macaw Ara chloroptera
Monotypic.

Also known as the Red and Green Macaw.


Distribution is similar to that of the Blue and Gold Macaw, being found from Panama to northern Argentina.


Photo by @NRJMelvinT at Parrot World (France). Note the rows of red feathering on the cheeks, which are absent in the similar Scarlet Macaw Ara macao.


Green-winged macaw (Ara chloropterus) - ZooChat


Photo by @WhistlingKite24 at Maleny Bird World (Australia). Note the green wing feathers, which are yellow in the Scarlet Macaw.


Green-winged Macaw (Ara chloropterus) - ZooChat


Photo by @savethelephant at the Bronx Zoo (USA), showing the difference in wing colour between the Scarlet Macaw (on left) and Green-winged Macaw (on right).


Scarlet/Green winged Macaw - ZooChat



Blue-throated or Caninde Macaw Ara glaucogularis
Monotypic.


Endemic to northern Bolivia.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Zoo Veldhoven (Netherlands).


Blue-throated macaws - ZooChat


Photo by @gentle lemur at Chester Zoo (UK), showing the obvious differences from the Blue and Gold Macaw in the blue throat and blue feather rows on the cheeks (as opposed to black in both cases).


Blue throated macaw - ZooChat


Photo by @demonmoth of a Blue and Gold Macaw at Hamerton Zoo Park (UK), illustrating the differences with the above photo of a Blue-throated Macaw. Note also the green forehead.


blue and gold macaw - ZooChat

 

Scarlet Macaw Ara macao
Two subspecies: cyanoptera and macao.

Also known as the Red and Yellow Macaw.


Distribution is from southeast Mexico to Brazil. The subspecies cyanoptera is the more northerly one, being found from Mexico to Nicaragua. Both subspecies are in aviculture; there are technically "better" photos in the Zoochat galleries than used below,but I chose these ones as they show definite examples of the two subspecies (one being of birds in a reintroduction programme and the other of wild birds).


Photo by @AluxesEcoparque at Aluxes Ecoparque Palenque (Mexico) - birds of the subspecies cyanoptera which are released here as a reintroduction programme.


Scarlet Macaw - ZooChat


Photo by @ralph in the wild, Costa Rica - birds of the subspecies macao.


Scarlet macaws - ZooChat



Military Macaw Ara militaris
Three subspecies: bolivianus, mexicanus, and militaris.


Distribution is in three separate areas, the most northerly being that of the subspecies A. m. mexicanus which is restricted to the Pacific slope of Mexico. A. m. bolivianus is the most southerly, in Bolivia and northwest Argentina. The nominate A. m. militaris is found in Colombia and Venezuela south to Ecuador and southeast Peru.

All three subspecies are in aviculture. I couldn't see any A. m. militaris in photos from European zoos (based on Zootierliste's listings), so used one from a zoo in Peru which is likely of that subspecies.


Photo by @Maguari at Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine (France) - subspecies bolivianus.


Bolivian Military Macaw at Doué-la-Fontaine, 15/06/18 - ZooChat


Photo by @KevinB at Antwerp Zoo (Belgium) - subspecies mexicanus.


Mexican military macaws (Ara militaris mexicana), 2022-03-16 - ZooChat


Photo by @devilfish at Parque de Las Leyendas (Peru) - subspecies militaris.


Military Macaws - ZooChat



Red-fronted Macaw Ara rubrogenys
Monotypic.


Endemic to central Bolivia.


Photo by @Therabu at Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine (France).


Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys) - ZooChat


There are several photos (on Zoochat and online) of birds with aberrant orange or yellow feathering on various parts of their body, notably this one by @Therabu at Zoo de Doue of a bird with a complete orange breast-band: Red-fronted Macaw (Ara rubrogenys) - ZooChat



Chestnut-fronted or Severe Macaw Ara severus
Monotypic.


Found from Panama south to Brazil.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Zoo Veldhoven (Netherlands).


Chestnut-fronted macaw - ZooChat

 

Cyanopsitta
One species.


Spix's Macaw Cyanopsitta spixii
Monotypic.


Endemic to Brazil but extinct in the wild since about 2000. Originally found in the caatinga (arid thorn forest) of northeastern Brazil. There are roughly 160 birds in captivity, and reintroductions to the wild began in 2021.


Photo by @Zooish at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore).


Spix's Macaw - ZooChat


Photo by @Hix at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore).


Spix's Macaws - ZooChat

 

Diopsittaca
One or two species.

The species in this genus have formerly been placed in the genus Ara. Typically the two taxa have been treated as subspecies (D. n. cumanensis and D. n. nobilis) but fairly recently these have been split into two full species by the HBW (in 2014). This has been followed by many subsequent authors but equally many still prefer to retain them as subspecies because the distinction is purely one of appearance. The southern cumanensis is larger than nobilis and has a horn-coloured upper mandible rather than grey.


Hahn's or Southern Red-shouldered Macaw Diopsittaca cumanensis
Monotypic, although a poorly-defined (larger) subspecies longipennis may be separated by some.


Distribution covers most of Brazil, extending to the west through Bolivia to southeastern Peru. If longipennis is separated it covers the southern part of this range (including Bolivia and Peru), while cumanensis is found entirely within northeastern Brazil. There is therefore a size cline from the smaller nobilis in the northeast of South America through the mid-sized cumanensis in the centre of the range to the larger longipennis in the south.


Photo by @Tomek at Zoo Veldhoven (Netherlands).


Red-shouldered Macaw (Diopsittaca nobilis cumanensis) June 2009 - ZooChat



Noble or Northern Red-shouldered Macaw Diopsittaca nobilis
Monotypic.


Restricted to northeastern South America, from eastern Venezuela across the Guianas into the extreme northeast corner of Brazil.


Photo by @vogelcommando in the Netherlands.


Hahn's macaw - ZooChat

 

Orthopsittaca
One species.

Has formerly been placed in the genus Ara.


Red-bellied Macaw Orthopsittaca manilatus
Monotypic.


Found across the Amazon Basin, with the distribution covering most of northern South America as well as on the island of Trinidad.


Photo by @ronnienl at Jurong Bird Park (Singapore). The red belly of the name is not a particularly obvious feature of the species, certainly much less so than the bright yellow face and scalloped plumage.


Red-bellied macaw - ZooChat

 

Primolius
Three species, all of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

The species in this genus were formerly placed in Ara. In the mid-1990s they were split off to their own genus, Propyrrhura, but this was later found to be a junior synonym of Primolius (1920 versus 1857). All three species are monotypic.



Golden-collared or Yellow-collared Macaw Primolius auricollis
Monotypic.


Found in central South America, from Bolivia and Brazil into Paraguay and northwest Argentina.


Photo by @vogelcommando at Berkenhof's Tropical Zoo (Netherlands).


Golden-collared macaw - ZooChat


Photo by @Parrotsandrew at Flamingo Land (UK), showing the yellow collar well.


Yellow-collared Macaw 1st November 2012 - ZooChat



Blue-headed Macaw Primolius couloni
Monotypic.


Found in western South America, mostly in eastern Peru but edging into west Brazil and north Bolivia.


Photo by @bongowwf at Antwerp Zoo (Belgium).


Ara couloni / Blue-headed macaw - ZooChat



Blue-winged or Illiger's Macaw Primolius maracana
Monotypic.


Found across all of southern Brazil into eastern Paraguay and northeastern Argentina.


Photo by @Macaw16 at Harewood House (UK).


Illiger's Macaw - ZooChat

 

Aratinga
Six species, five of which are represented in the Zoochat galleries.

Previously a much larger genus, containing about 25 species, which is now split into four genera as genetic studies show the grouping to be paraphyletic: Aratinga, Eupsittula, Psittacara, and Thectocercus. However Nandayus, which has typically been treated as distinct, is now merged into Aratinga.

The now-extinct Carolina Parakeet Conuropsis carolinensis of the USA is also closely-related and some taxonomists would place this in Aratinga as well (in this thread I have kept it separate).


The only species of this genus not depicted in the Zoochat galleries is the Sulphur-breasted Conure Aratinga maculatus.



Golden-capped Conure Aratinga auricapilla
Two subspecies: auricapilla and aurifrons.


Endemic to the Atlantic forest of Brazil, with A. a. auricapilla restricted to north and central Bahia, and A. a. aurifrons with a wider range from Minas Gerais to Santa Catarina.


Photo by @Parrotsandrew at Chester Zoo (UK).


Golden-capped Conure, 4th October 2008 - ZooChat



Jenday Conure Aratinga jandaya
Monotypic.

Also known as Janday, Jandaya, or Jendaya Conure.


Endemic to northeastern Brazil.


This species is often confused with the Sun Conure A. solstitialis. In comparison with that species note the Jenday Conure's solid green wings and back (which are, respectively, mostly and entirely yellow in the Sun Conure) and the grey eye-ring (white in the Sun Conure). In the second photo of Jenday Conure used here, also note the bright orange underparts, which are yellow in the Sun Conure.



Photo by @mhale at Birdworld (UK).


Jandaya conure at Birdworld, 20 June 2010 - ZooChat


Photo by @zoogiraffe at Birdworld (UK).


Jandaya Conure - ZooChat


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


Jandaya Parakeet Aratinga jandaya - ZooChat



Sulphur-breasted Conure Aratinga maculata
Monotypic.

Also has been known by the synonym Aratinga pintoi. Although initially described (under the name maculata) in 1776, this species remained obscure until the early 2000s because the colouration is similar to that of juvenile Sun Conures A. solstitialis. It was described as a new species in 2005 under the name A. pintoi, which in 2009 was determined as being the same species as had been described in 1776.


Found largely in northeastern Brazil, although there are also museum and sight records from neighbouring Suriname.


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



Nanday Conure Aratinga nenday
Monotypic.

Also known as Black-headed or Black-masked Conure. Formerly placed in its own genus, Nandayus, due to its distinctive colouration.


Found in west-central South America, in southeastern Bolivia and southern Brazil, through Paraguay to northern Argentina. There are also wild introduced populations in some other countries, including the USA.


Both photos below by @Therabu at Parque das Aves (Brazil).


Nanday Parakeet Aratinga nenday - ZooChat



Nanday Parakeet Aratinga nenday - ZooChat



Sun Conure Aratinga solstitialis
Monotypic.


Found in northeastern South America, in Brazil, Surinam, Guyana, and Venzuela. Trapping for the bird trade has rendered the species almost extinct in Guyana. Most of the remaining wild population (c.90%) is in northeastern Brazil.


Photo by @Coelacanth18 at Sylvan Heights Bird Park (USA) - adult bird.


Sun Conure - ZooChat


Photo by @KevinB at Pakawi Park (Belgium) - juvenile bird.


Juvenile Sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis), 2020-06-20 - ZooChat



Dusky-headed or Weddell's Conure Aratinga weddellii
Monotypic.


Found east of the Andes, from Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, northwest Brazil, and Bolivia.


Photo by @toto98 at Aviario Nacional de Colombia (Colombia).


Dusky-headed parakeet (Aratinga weddellii) - ZooChat


Photo by @vogelcommando of a captive bird in the Netherlands.


Dusky-headed parakeet - Aratinga weddellii - ZooChat