''Brotogeris'' is a genus of small

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

s endemic to Central and South America. Their closest relatives are the

monk parakeet The monk parakeet (''Myiopsitta monachus''), also known as the monk parrot or Quaker parrot, is a species of true parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is a small, bright-green parrot with a greyish breast and greenish-yellow abdomen. Its averag ...

and the

cliff parakeet The cliff parakeet (''Myiopsitta luchsi'') is a Near Threatened species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Bolivia. Taxonomy and systematics The cliff parakeet was long tr ...

in the genus ''

Myiopsitta ''Myiopsitta'' is a genus of parrot in the family Psittacidae. They are native to South America, but are found all over Europe, as well. They are known as an invasive species due to the crop damage they cause, which greatly affects the wildlife a ...

''. They eat seeds and fruit. The word ''brotogeris'' means "having the voice of a human". In the language of their native countries, which is mostly Spanish, they are called ''pericos'' – the translation of which is "parakeet". Their average lifespan is 15 years, although some have been reported to have lived up to 35 years. Also, the bird was found in Rio Grande do Sul in South America.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Brotogeris'' was introduced in 1825 by Irish zoologist

Nicholas Aylward Vigors Nicholas Aylward Vigors (1785 – 26 October 1840) was an Ireland, Irish zoologist and politician. He popularized the classification of birds on the basis of the quinarian system. Early life Vigors was born at Old Leighlin, County Carlow, in 1 ...

with the

grey-cheeked parakeet The grey-cheeked parakeet (''Brotogeris pyrrhoptera''), less commonly known as fire-winged parakeet, is a vulnerable species of bird. It is in the subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots, and is found in ...

as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

. The name is from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

''brotogērus'' meaning "with human voice". The genus contains eight species:

Phylogeny

The species form a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group whose closest relatives are the

and the

in the genus ''

''. Within ''Brotogeris'' the species are divided into two separate

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

Gallery

File:Plain Parakeet (Brotogeris tirica) -on branch.jpg,

Plain parakeet The plain parakeet (''Brotogeris tirica'') is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is endemic to Brazil. Taxonomy and systematics The plain parakeet was formally described in ...

(''B. tirica'') File:Grey-cheeked Parakeet (Brotogeris pyrrhoptera) captivity.jpg,

Grey-cheeked parakeet The grey-cheeked parakeet (''Brotogeris pyrrhoptera''), less commonly known as fire-winged parakeet, is a vulnerable species of bird. It is in the subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots, and is found in ...

(''B. pyrrhoptera'') File:Brotogeris chiriri -pet-8a.jpg,

Yellow-chevroned parakeet The yellow-chevroned parakeet (''Brotogeris chiriri'') is native to tropical South America south of the Amazon River basin from central Brazil to southern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Caged birds have been released in some areas, ...

(''B. chiriri'') File:Orange-chinned Parakeet (Brotogeris jugularis)10c1.jpg,

Orange-chinned parakeet The orange-chinned parakeet (''Brotogeris jugularis''), also known as the Tovi parakeet, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found from southern Mexico through Central Ame ...

(''B. jugularis'') File:Brotogeris cyanoptera -Ecudore-4.jpg,

Cobalt-winged parakeet The cobalt-winged parakeet (''Brotogeris cyanoptera'') is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela.Remse ...

(''B. cyanoptera'') File:Brotogeris sanctithomae -captive-8a.jpg,

Tui parakeet The tui parakeet (''Brotogeris sanctithomae'') is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and possibly Ecuador.Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. ...

(''B. sanctithomae'')

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Gallery

References

Further reading