Cliff parakeet

Cliff parakeet
Illustration by John Keulemans, 1891
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Myiopsitta
Species:
M. luchsi
Binomial name
Myiopsitta luchsi
(Finsch, 1868)
Synonyms
  • Bolborrhynchus luchsi Finsch, 1868
  • Myiopsitta monachus luchsi

The cliff parakeet (Myiopsitta luchsi) is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Bolivia.[2][1]

Taxonomy and systematics

The cliff parakeet was long treated as a subspecies of the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). Due to morphological and behavioral differences, and geographical dissimilarities, the International Ornithological Committee elevated the cliff parakeet to species status in 2015.[3] BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World followed suit in 2020 and the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society in late 2024.[4][5] As of late 2024 the Clements taxonomy retains it as a monk parakeet subspecies.[6]

The species was described by Otto Finsch after the German physician and aviculturist Ernst Luchs.[7]

Description

The cliff parakeet is 30 cm (12 in) long and weighs about 120 g (4.2 oz). Adults have a gray face, throat, and breast and a yellow belly. Their flanks, vent, undertail coverts, and thighs are green. Their hindcrown, nape, and back are various shades of green. Their central tail feathers are dark green to bluish and the rest have green outer webs and yellow inner webs and tips. Their primaries, outer secondaries, and their coverts are blue and the rest of the wing green. Their bill is yellowish brown, sometimes with a rose tinge. Their iris is dark brown and their eye is surrounded by bare gray skin.[8]

Distribution and habitat

The cliff parakeet is found in Bolivia's Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Potosí and Santa Cruz departments. It inhabits dry intermontane valleys where xerophytic vegetation is near cliffs. In elevation it ranges between 1,300 and 3,000 m (4,300 and 9,800 ft).[8][1]

Behavior

Movement

The cliff parakeet is believed to be non-migratory.[8][1]

Feeding

The cliff parakeet's diet is mostly fruits and seeds but also includes maize taken from cultivated fields.[8][1]

Breeding

The cliff parakeet builds a bulky stick nest on cliffs. Unlike the nests of the monk parakeet, they are not communal, but may be built close together. (The two species are the only parrots that do not nest in cavities or burrows.) The clutch size is thought to be about six eggs. There is some evidence that two broods are sometimes raised in one year.[8][1]

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to cliff parakeet on xeno-canto

Status

The IUCN originally assessed the cliff parakeet as being of Least Concern but since 2021 has rated it Near Threatened. It has a very limited range and its estimated population of fewer than 10,000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. It does not occur uniformly across its range and is persecuted as a crop pest.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g BirdLife International (2022). "Cliff Parakeet Myiopsitta luchsi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T45427286A208985244. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. ^ Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  3. ^ "IOC Version 5.1 (Jan 15, 2015)". IOC World Bird List. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  4. ^ HBW and BirdLife International (2020) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 5. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v5_Dec20.zip [.xls zipped 1 MB].
  5. ^ Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, G. Del-Rio, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. Version 18 November 2024. A classification of the bird species of South America. American Ornithological Society. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm retrieved 26 November 2024
  6. ^ Clements, J. F., P.C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, M. Smith, and C. L. Wood. 2024. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2024. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved October 23, 2024
  7. ^ Finsch, Otto (1868). Die Papageien. Volume 2. p. 121.
  8. ^ a b c d e Burgio, K. R., C. B. van Rees, K. E. Block, P. Pyle, M. A. Patten, M. F. Spreyer, and E. H. Bucher (2020). Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.monpar.01 retrieved February 20, 2023