Brehm's Tiger Parrot
Encyclopedia
Brehm's Tiger Parrot, Psittacella brehmii, is also known as Brehm's Ground Parrot. It is a small mainly green parrot
Parrot
Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

 found in the highlands of New Guinea, from 1,500-2,600m (extremes 1,100-3,800m). The species is named after Alfred Brehm
Alfred Brehm
Alfred Edmund Brehm was aGerman zoologist, natural history illustrator and writer, the son ofChristian Ludwig Brehm....

 (1829–1884), a German traveller and collector.

Taxonomy

There are four subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 occurring in three distinct populations:
  • P. b. brehmii: Bird's Head Peninsula
    Bird's Head Peninsula
    The Bird's Head Peninsula or Doberai Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the Province of West Papua, Indonesia.-Location and geography:...

    , West Papua.
  • P. b. intermixta: Central highlands of New Guinea. Underparts and barring on back more yellowish-green. Larger.
  • P. b. pallida: SE highlands of New Guinea. Like nominate but narrower bill.
  • P. b. harterti: Huon Peninsula
    Huon Peninsula
    Huon Peninsula is a large rugged peninsula on the island of New Guinea in Morobe Province, eastern Papua New Guinea. It is named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec who discovered it along with his personal assistant and porter, Henry Ole. The peninsula is dominated by the steep...

     (NE New Guinea). Paler head, less yellowish-green. Smaller.


In Brehm's central range
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...

the Painted Tiger Parrot, P. picta, takes over above 2700m, but that species is not found in the Huon range, where Brehm's ranges higher. They are found singly or in small groups and feed on seeds and berries in the sub-canopy or near ground level.

Description

Brehm's Tiger Parrot is the largest species in the genus Psittacella and is about 24 cm (9.4 in) in length and weighs between 94 to 120 g (3.3 to 4.2 oz). It is mainly green with a dull olive-brown head, transverse yellow and black bars on the back and rump, and red undertail coverts. Its irises are red, and its beak is blueish-grey fading to white at the tip. Its legs are grey. The male has a yellow stripe on the sides of its neck and a green breast without barring. Females lack the yellow stripe on the neck and have a yellow and black striped breast. Juveniles resemble females, but have yellowish-brown irises and a more faded green and pale-yellow barring on the breast.
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