''Aratinga'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of South American

conure Conures are a diverse, loosely defined group of small to medium-sized parrots. They belong to several genera within a long-tailed group of the New World parrot subfamily Arinae. The term "conure" is used primarily in bird keeping, though it has ...

s. Most are predominantly green, although a few are predominantly yellow or orange. They are social and commonly seen in groups in the wild. In

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, the popular name of several species usually is ''jandaia'', sometimes written as ''jandaya'' in the scientific form. Many species from this genus are popular pets, although being larger than the members of the genus ''

Pyrrhura ''Pyrrhura'' (Greek Red/Fire Tail) is a genus of parrots in the Arini tribe. They occur in tropical and subtropical South America and southern Central America (Panama and Costa Rica). Most are restricted to humid forest and adjacent habitats, ...

'', they need a sizable

aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. Av ...

to thrive.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Aratinga'' was introduced in 1824 by the German naturalist

Johann Baptist von Spix Johann Baptist Ritter von Spix (9 February 1781 – 13 March 1826) was a German natural history, biologist. From his expedition to Brazil, he brought to Germany a large variety of specimens of plants, insects, mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. ...

. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

was subsequently designated as the

sun parakeet The sun parakeet (''Aratinga solstitialis''), also known in aviculture as the sun conure, is a medium-sized, vibrantly colored parrot native to northeastern South America. The adult male and female are similar in appearance, with black beaks, pre ...

. The genus name is from the extinct

Tupi language Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (also spelled as Tupí) is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. It belongs to the ...

of Brasil. ''Ará tinga'' means "bright bird" or "bright parrot". The

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

of this genus has recently been resolved by splitting it in four genera, as the genus as previously defined was

paraphyletic In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...

. The species of the '' Aratinga solstitialis'' complex, were retained in this genus, while other former ''Aratinga'' species were moved to ''

Eupsittula ''Eupsittula'' is a genus of South and Middle American parakeets in the tribe Arini. Until 2013, all the species were believed to belong to the genus ''Aratinga''. Some of the ''Eupsittula'' species are kept in aviculture or as companion parr ...

'' (brownish-throated species), ''

Psittacara ''Psittacara'' is a genus of parakeets in the tribe Arini. Species of the genus are found in Central and South America, the Caribbean and one species reaching the southern United States. Until 2013, all the species were placed in the genus ''Ara ...

'' (pale-beaked species) and '' Thectocercus'' (blue-crowned parakeet). Furthermore, the closely related

nanday parakeet The nanday parakeet (''Aratinga nenday''), also known as the black-hooded parakeet or nanday conure, is a medium-small, mostly green, Neotropical parrot native to continental South America. Taxonomy The nanday parakeet was previously regarded as ...

(''A. nenday'') and the

dusky-headed parakeet The dusky-headed parakeet (''Aratinga weddellii''), also known as Weddell's conure or dusky-headed conure in aviculture, is a small green Neotropical parrot with dusty grey head found in wooded habitats in the western Amazon basin of South Amer ...

(''A. weddellii'') are placed in this genus. The nanday parakeet was previously placed in its own genus based on the differences in coloration and elongated upper mandible, but this was not supported by

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...

studies that showed a close relationship with the ''A. solstitialis'' species complex.

Species

Hypothetical extinct species

Jean-Baptiste Labat Jean-Baptiste Labat (sometimes called, simply, Père Labat) (1663 – 6 January 1738) was a French clergyman, botanist, writer, explorer, ethnographer, soldier, engineer, and landowner. Life Labat was born and died in Paris. He entered the ...

described a population of small parrots living on

Guadeloupe Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...

, which has been postulated to be a separate species based on little evidence. They were called ''Conurus labati'', and are now referred to as the Guadeloupe parakeet (''Aratinga labati''). No specimens or remains of the

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

parrots are known. Their taxonomy may never be fully elucidated, so their postulated status as a separate species is hypothetical, and it is regarded as a

hypothetical extinct species Several species have been assumed to exist, but due to a lack of evidence they can only be regarded as potential species. They have caused confusion, as they may have been a separate species, a subspecies, an introduced species or a misidentific ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q776138 Arini (tribe) Bird genera Taxa named by Johann Baptist von Spix