Three 'new' parakeet species from South America

01-03-2001

A review by Leo Joseph (published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences) of patterns of geographical variation in Neotropical parakeets has recognised three endemic parakeets from north-western South America and nearby Panama as distinctive species. All three have recently been considered subspecies of the Painted Parakeet Pyrrhura picta, but Joseph shows that they bear little resemblance to that species.

One, which was originally described in 1917 as a full species and now recognised afresh as P. subandina, is known from just 18 specimens collected in four localities in 1916 and 1949 in the valley of the Rio Sinú in northwestern Colombia. Compared to other members of the P. picta complex it is relatively small and unique in having a bicoloured red and blue frons on an otherwise brown crown, russet-brown ear-coverts and edgings to the chest feathers. It is probably endangered due to extensive habitat loss. The second, P. caeruleiceps, is known from just 12 specimens and four localities in the east of Colombia and nearby Venezuela while the third, P. eisenmanni, is known from a few specimens from Panama's Azuero Peninsula. The two latter closely resemble each other in having broad pale barring on the underparts and more or less entirely maroon cheeks. Maroon cheeks have long been thought of as a diagnostic character of White-eared Parakeet P. leucotis, yet these two were considered subspecies of P. picta; no wonder their taxonomy has been so confused in the past! They differ from each other in the colouration of their heads and bends of the wing.

A follow-up paper expanding on these findings and examining details of the group's distribution in Colombia and Venezuela has been submitted for publication. That paper will suggest the common names of Sinú Parakeet, Todd's Parakeet and Azuero Parakeet for P. subandina, P. caeruleiceps and P. eisenmanni, respectively.