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 introduced to the Dominican Republic.

Olive-throated parakeet
Eupsittula nana nana
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Eupsittula
Species:
E. nana
Binomial name
Eupsittula nana
(Vigors, 1830)
Synonyms

Aratinga nana

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.[2] Measures 21.5–24 cm (8.5–9.4 in) and weighs 75–85 g (2.6–3.0 oz).[3]

Taxonomy and distribution
In Guatemala

The species occurs in two widely disjunct populations, with the nominate subspecies restricted to Jamaica, and the astec group (including subspecies vicinalis) occurring from northeastern Mexico through the Yucatan Peninsula and along the Caribbean slope of Central America, as far south as northwestern Panama. The two populations are very similar. Most authorities consider them a single species; however, some have recommended splitting them, referring to the former as the Jamaican parakeet (E. nana) and the latter as the Aztec parakeet (E. astec).[4]

The nominate subspecies has recently been discovered to occur in remote areas of Hispaniola as well, with genetic analysis suggesting it may have been introduced from Jamaica.[5]

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 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[6]

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.[6]

References
  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Eupsittula nana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T45418540A95147758. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T45418540A95147758.en.
  2. "Olive-throated Conure (Eupsittula nana)". World Parrot Trust Encyclopedia.
  3. Soberanes-González, C.; Rodríguez-Flores, C.; Arizmendi, M.C. (2010). Schulenberg, T.S. (ed.). "Olive-throated Parakeet (Eupsittula nana)". Neotropical Birds Online. Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  4. https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=31172F88931F3F2F
  5. Latta, Steven C.; Townsend, Andrea K. (January 2010). "The origins of the recently discovered Hispaniolan Olive-throated Parakeet: A phylogeographic perspective on a conservation conundrum". Caribbean Journal of Science. 46 (2): 143–149. doi:10.18475/cjos.v46i2.a2. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. BirdLife International (2014). "Eupsittula nana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014: e.T45418540A45418571. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-2.RLTS.T45418540A45418571.en.
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