The olive-throated parakeet (''Eupsittula nana''), also known as the olive-throated conure in

aviculture Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds, especially of wild birds in captivity. Types There are various reasons that people get involved in aviculture. Some people breed birds to preserve a species. Some people breed parrots a ...

, is a species of

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...

in the family

Psittacidae The family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrots. It comprises the roughly 10 species of subfamily Psittacinae (the Old World or Afrotropical parrots) and 157 of subfamily Arinae (the New World or Neotropic ...

. It is found in forest and woodland in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and Central America, and has been introduced to

Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and th ...

, in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

Description

The species has a brown throat, with orange eyes in adults and brown eyes in juveniles. Its flight call is a noisy screech; it also utters harsh twittering sounds and piercing chirps. Measures and weighs .

Taxonomy and distribution

Aztec Parakeet (Aratinga astec) -Guatemala-8-2c

The species occurs in two widely disjunct populations, with the

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

restricted to

, and the ''astec'' group (including subspecies ''vicinalis'') occurring from northeastern

through the Yucatan Peninsula and along the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

slope of

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, as far south as northwestern

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

. The two populations are very similar. Most authorities consider them a single species; however, some (such as the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

through

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

), have recommended

splitting Splitting may refer to: * Splitting (psychology) * Lumpers and splitters, in classification or taxonomy * Wood splitting * Tongue splitting * Splitting, railway operation Mathematics * Heegaard splitting * Splitting field * Splitting principle * ...

them, referring to the former as the Jamaican parakeet (''E. nana'') and the latter as the Aztec parakeet (''E. astec''). The nominate subspecies has recently been discovered to occur in remote areas of Hispaniola as well, in the Dominican Republic's

Sierra de Baoruco The Bahoruco Mountain Range—Sierra de Bahoruco (or Sierra de Bahoruco) is a mountain range located in the far southwestern region of the Dominican Republic. It is within Pedernales Province, Pedernales, Independencia Province, Independencia, Bara ...

mountain range. Genetic analysis suggests it may have been introduced from Jamaica.

Habitat

The parakeet inhabits wooded hills and mountain slopes, but also makes use of cultivated areas and scrubland in humid or semi-arid areas up to moderate elevations above sea level. It is most common at heights of around .

Ecology

The parakeet feeds on buds and fruit as well as some crops, causing it to be considered a pest species in some areas. It reportedly nests only in arboreal termite nests found in trees of at least medium size.

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1078636

olive-throated parakeet The olive-throated parakeet (''Eupsittula nana''), also known as the olive-throated conure in aviculture, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is found in forest and woodland in Jamaica, Mexico and Central America, and has been in ...

Birds of Jamaica Birds of Central America Birds of the Dominican Republic

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxa named by Nicholas Aylward Vigors