The Hispaniolan parakeet (Psittacara chloropterus) is a Vulnerable species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to the island of Hispaniola which is shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti.[3][1] In the former country it is called "perico" and in the latter "perruche".[4]
The Hispaniolan parakeet is 30 to 33 cm (12 to 13 in) long and weighs 144 to 147 g (5.1 to 5.2 oz). The sexes are alike. Adults are mostly green that is more yellowish on their underparts. Some have a few red flecks on their head. The bend and edge of their wing and their outermost underwing coverts are red. The undersides of their flight feathers and tail are dull yellowish. Their eye is surrounded by bare white skin. Immature birds have little or no red on the wing.[4]
Distribution and habitat
The Hispaniolan parakeet formerly ranged across most of the island of Hispaniola. As of 2020 it is known in the Dominican Republic mostly from the Cordillera Central, Sierra de Bahoruco, and a few urban centers. It is very rare in Haiti, where in the early 2000s it was found in the Chaîne de la Selle and Massif de la Hotte with scattered records elsewhere.[1][4] The species was introduced to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe.[4] There are no eBird records from the former island and very few from the latter.[10]
The Hispaniolan parakeet inhabits a wide variety of landscapes including lowland and montane forest, savanna, open woodlands, secondary forest, croplands, and urban centers such as Santo Domingo. It is most common in humid montane forest. In elevation it ranges from sea level to 3,000 m (9,800 ft).[4][1]
The Hispaniolan parakeet's diet has not been fully described. It is known to feed on fig (Ficus) fruits and reported to feed on fruits, seeds, and flowers of a variety of other plants and trees. It has also been reported as a significant pest on maize (Zea mays) crops.[4]
Breeding
The Hispaniolan parakeet nests in cavities in trees or arboreal termitaria. Almost nothing is known about its breeding biology in the wild. In captivity it lays a clutch of three or four eggs, with an incubation period of 20 to 23 days and about eight weeks to fledging.[4]
The Hispaniolan parakeet makes a "kree" call "with a grating noisy sound quality" both in flight and when perched.[4]
Status
The IUCN originally assessed the Hispaniolan parakeet as Near Threatened but since 1994 has rated it as Vulnerable. It has a small and fragmented range and its estimated population of 1500 to 7000 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing. Continuing habitat loss and persecution as a crop pest are the principal threats. Illegal trapping for the domestic and export cage bird trade has also contributed to its decline.[1]
^ abGill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
^ abcdefghiCollar, N., P. F. D. Boesman, C. J. Sharpe, and H. F. Greeney (2020). Hispaniolan Parakeet (Psittacara chloropterus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.hispar.01 retrieved April 9, 2023
^Remsen, James V.; Urantówka, Adam (2013). "Divide Aratinga into four genera". AOS South American Classification Committee. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
^ abcChesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, R. A. Jiménez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2022. Check-list of North American Birds (online). American Ornithological Society. https://checklist.aou.org/taxaArchived 2020-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
^Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022
