bio.wikisort.org - Animal

The Puerto Rican parakeet or Puerto Rican conure (Psittacara maugei) is an extinct species of parrot that was found on Mona Island and possibly in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican parakeet
19th-century illustration
Conservation status
Extinct (~1900)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittacidae
Genus:	Psittacara
Species:	†P. maugei
Binomial name
†Psittacara maugei Souancé, 1856
Synonyms
Aratinga chloroptera maugei Psittacara chloroptera maugei

Description

The bird was similar to the Hispaniolan parakeet (Psittacara chloropterus), of which it was once considered a subspecies (some sources, such as the IUCN, still follow this taxonomy.)[1] Its feathers were a duller green, and the red markings on the wing were more extensive.[2][3]

Ecology

The bird fed primarily upon seeds, fruits, nuts and berries. It may also have eaten leaf buds and flowers. Nesting took place in hollow trees, old woodpecker holes and arboreal termite nests.[2]

Behavior

The Puerto Rican parakeet was a very gregarious bird, noted for its loud, continuous calling. While the bird was normally cautious, avoiding contact with humans, this lessened while feeding. As the bird often fed in farmers' fields on crops such as maize, this contributed to its widespread hunting.[2]

Extinction

The last bird was seen in 1882, by W. W. Brown, who collected the specimen which now resides at the Field Museum in Chicago.[4] The date of extinction is not well recorded. It was referred to as still being extant in 1905, but reported as extinct in 1950.[5] Hunting by humans is believed to be the primary cause of extinction.[2] It was noted by James Bond that the bird was seemingly unafraid of gunshots, making it particularly vulnerable to hunting. Bond attributed the bird's extinction to the large number of pigeon hunters who travelled to Mona Island.[4][6] Deforestation of the island may also have played a role.[4]

Three specimens of the bird still exist. Beyond the one in the Field Museum, the Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum in Leiden and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris each possess one skin.[4] Although it is believed the species may also have existed on Puerto Rico, all the existing specimens were collected from Mona Island.[5] The specimen in the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle is the type specimen.[6]

See also

• Fauna of Puerto Rico
• List of birds of Puerto Rico
• List of endemic fauna of Puerto Rico
• List of Puerto Rican birds
• List of Vieques birds
• El Toro Wilderness

References

На других языках

---

- [en] Puerto Rican parakeet

---

[es] Psittacara maugei

La aratinga de Puerto Rico (Psittacara maugei) es una especie extinta de ave psitaciforme de la familia Psittacidae que era endémica de la isla de la Mona y posiblemente de Puerto Rico.

---

[it] Psittacara chloropterus maugei

Il parrocchetto di Porto Rico (Psittacara chloropterus maugei (Souancé, 1856)) era un uccello della famiglia degli Psittacidi che viveva sull'isola di Mona, a metà strada tra Hispaniola e Porto Rico e, secondo la tradizione orale dei vecchi, anche a Porto Rico stessa.

---

---