The pearly parakeet (''Pyrrhura lepida''), more commonly known as the pearly 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 ...

that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to east Amazonian forests 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 ...

.Collar, N. J. (1997). Pearly Parakeet (Pyrrhura lepida). Pp. 440 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J. eds. (1997). ''Handbook of the Birds of the World.'' Vol. 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Taxonomy

Its

taxonomic 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. ...

history is potentially confusing. It was formerly known as ''Pyrrhura perlata'', but following a review it was discovered that the

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular wiktionary:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to a ...

, long believed to belong to this species, actually was a juvenile of the closely related

crimson-bellied parakeet The crimson-bellied parakeet (''Pyrrhura perlata''), more commonly known as the crimson-bellied conure in aviculture, is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. Taxonomy Its taxonomic history is potentially confusing. It was formerly kn ...

. Consequently, ''P. perlata'' was transferred to that species, while the next name in line for the pearly parakeet, ''P. lepida'', became its valid scientific name. Traditionally, three

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 ...

of the pearly parakeet have been recognized: Western ''anerythra'', eastern

nominate Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In the ...

''lepida'', and far eastern ''coerulescens''. In 2011, a review found that ''lepida'' and ''coerulescens'' were inseparable (both have some red to the wings and virtually no red to the belly in adults). This would usually result in ''coerulescens'' being a

junior synonym The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linna ...

of the older name ''lepida'', but upon closer inspection the type specimen of the latter is a

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

. This invalidates the name ''lepida'' and leaves ''coerulescens'' as the valid name for the population east of the

Tocantins Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 20 ...

–

Araguaia River The Araguaia River ( pt, Rio Araguaia , Karajá: ♂ ''Berohokỹ'' eɾohoˈkə̃ ♀ ''Bèrakuhukỹ'' ɛɾakuhuˈkə̃ is one of the major rivers of Brazil though it is almost equal in volume at its confluence with the Tocantins. It has a total ...

, including Marajo Island.Somenzari, M. (2011).
Taxonomia do complex Pyrrhura lepida (Aves: Psittacidae).
' Instituto de Biociências, São Paulo. In contrast, ''anerythra'' is highly distinctive (lacks red to the wings, but has some reddish to the belly) and it has been recommended it should be treated as a separate,

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

species found between the

Xingu River The Xingu River ( ; pt, Rio Xingu, ; Mẽbêngôkre: ''Byti'', ) is a river in north Brazil. It is a southeast tributary of the Amazon River and one of the largest clearwater rivers in the Amazon basin, accounting for about 5% of its water. ...

and Tocantins–Araguaia River. There is limited hybridization between ''coerulescens'' and ''anerythra'' where the two come into contact in the

Portel, Pará Portel is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Pará. Its population as of 2020 is estimated to be 62,945 people. The area of the municipality is 25,384.779 km2. The city belongs to the mesoregion Marajó Marajó () is a la ...

region.

Status

The pearly parakeet is rated as Vulnerable by 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 ...

. While it remains locally fairly common, it has suffered due to extensive

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, especially in the eastern part of its range where the subspecies ''coerulescens'' (if recognized as valid) may be approaching

extinction 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 ...

References

pearly parakeet The pearly parakeet (''Pyrrhura lepida''), more commonly known as the pearly conure in aviculture, is a species of parrot that is endemic to east Amazonian forests in Brazil.Collar, N. J. (1997). Pearly Parakeet (Pyrrhura lepida). Pp. 440 i ...

Birds of the Amazon Basin Endemic birds of Brazil

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{parrot-stub