Burrowing Parakeet
Encyclopedia
The Burrowing Parrot is a bird
species
in the parrot
family
. It belongs to the smaller long-tailed Arinae (macaws and conures), and is also known as Patagonian Conure. The Burrowing Parrot belongs to the monotypic genus Cyanoliseus, but the species is not monotypic, having several subspecies
.
It is mainly found in Argentina
. A very much reduced population still survives in Chile
, and migration of some Argentine populations to Uruguay
has been reported for the winter months. Sometimes strong westerly winds bring some individuals as far as the Falkland Islands
.
Its natural habitat
s is the arid bush steppe
community known as Monte
.
The Burrowing Parrot has a monogamous mating system with very strong bi-parental care. Genetic testing has recently shown that this species is one of a few animals that is genetically monogamous in a socially monogamous mating system. Also, nest parasitism is not known to occur in this species.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the 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...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. It belongs to the smaller long-tailed Arinae (macaws and conures), and is also known as Patagonian Conure. The Burrowing Parrot belongs to the monotypic genus Cyanoliseus, but the species is not monotypic, having several 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...
.
It is mainly found in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. A very much reduced population still survives in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and migration of some Argentine populations to Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
has been reported for the winter months. Sometimes strong westerly winds bring some individuals as far as the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
.
Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s is the arid bush steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
community known as Monte
Monte
-Surname:* Philippe de Monte , Renaissance composer* Lou Monte , Italian-American singer-Given name:* Monte Attell , American world champion bantamweight boxer* Monte Irvin -Surname:* Philippe de Monte (1521-1603), Renaissance composer* Lou Monte (1917-89), Italian-American singer-Given name:*...
.
The Burrowing Parrot has a monogamous mating system with very strong bi-parental care. Genetic testing has recently shown that this species is one of a few animals that is genetically monogamous in a socially monogamous mating system. Also, nest parasitism is not known to occur in this species.
Subspecies
The following three subspecies are currently known:- Cyanoliseus patagonus patagonus Patagonian Conure
- Cyanoliseus patagonus byroni Greater Patagonian Conure
- Cyanoliseus patagonus andinus