Pygmy parrots are the smallest members of the

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittaco ...

order. The six

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of pygmy parrots are all in the genus ''Micropsitta'', which is the only genus in the Micropsittini

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confl ...

. Pygmy parrots are native to the forests of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

and nearby islands. They are tiny

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s, fast-moving, and mostly green with bright highlights. A pygmy parrot spends a good deal of time climbing through foliage, using its large feet and beak, and stiffened tail feathers. At a little over long, the

buff-faced pygmy parrot The buff-faced pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta pusio'') is a very small green parrot found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest in New Britain and New Guinea. Taxonomy The species was first described as ''Nasiterna pusio'' by English natu ...

is the smallest parrot species. Pygmy parrots are also among the few species in the order (other examples include '' Pyrilia'' and '' Nannopsittaca'' species) that have never been successfully kept, let alone bred, in captivity. All attempts to do so have resulted in the quick deaths of the little birds. Stress and dietary deficiencies are probably to blame. Pygmy parrots are among the few birds that feed on

fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

and lichens, which play a major role in their diet.Juniper, T., & M. Parr (1998). ''A Guide to the Parrots of the World.'' Pica Press, East Sussex. Their precise dietary needs are poorly understood.

Description

Pygmy parrots are the smallest parrots and range is size from about . They have long toes and long, curved claws. The shafts of their tail feathers are stiff and form projections at the end of the tail. The cere is prominent. The external appearance of the adult males and adult females differ to varying extents in different species. Juveniles are duller.

Taxonomy

The genus was defined by French naturalist René-Primevère Lesson in 1831. The name ''Micropsitta'' is derived from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''mikros'' meaning small and ''psitta'' for parrot. The pygmy parrots consist of six species and several subspecies: Genus: ''Micropsitta'' Lesson 1831 (pygmy parrots) * ''M. bruijnii'' (Salvadori 1875),

Red-breasted pygmy parrot The red-breasted pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta bruijnii'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. Its natural habitat is the boreal forests, subtropical or tropical dry forests, and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests of the ...

** ''M. b. bruijnii'' (Salvadori 1875) ** ''M. b. buruensis'' Arndt 1999 ** ''M. b. necopinata''

Hartert Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (29 October 1859 – 11 November 1933) was a widely published German ornithologist. Life and career Hartert was born in Hamburg, Germany on 29 October 1859. In July 1891, he married the illustrator Claudia Bernadine E ...

1925 ** ''M. b. pileata'' Mayr 1940 ** ''M. b. rosea'' Mayr 1940 * ''M. finschii'' (Ramsay, EP 1881),

Finsch's pygmy parrot Finsch's pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta finschii''), also known as the emerald pygmy parrot and green pygmy parrot, is a member of parrot family Psittacidae inhabiting tropical rainforest regions of islands in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, ...

** ''M. f. aolae'' (Ogilvie-Grant 1888) ** ''M. f. finschii'' (Ramsay, EP 1881) ** ''M. f. nanina'' (Tristram 1891) ** ''M. f. tristrami'' ( Rothschild &

1902) ** ''M. f. viridifrons'' ( Rothschild &

1899) * ''M. geelvinkiana'' (Schlegel 1871), Geelvink pygmy parrot ** ''M. g. geelvinkiana'' (Schlegel 1871) ** ''M. g. misoriensis'' (Salvadori 1876) * ''M. keiensis'' (Salvadori 1876),

Yellow-capped pygmy parrot The yellow-capped pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta keiensis'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae mainly found throughout western New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical ...

** ''M. k. chloroxantha'' Oberholser 1917 ** ''M. k. keiensis'' (Salvadori 1876) ** ''M. k. viridipectus'' ( Rothschild 1911) * ''M. meeki'' Rothschild &

1914,

Meek's pygmy parrot Meek's pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta meeki''), also known as the yellow-breasted pigmy parrot, is a species of small parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. Taxonomy and etymology This bird is one of seven named i ...

** ''M. m. meeki'' Rothschild &

1914 ** ''M. m. proxima'' Rothschild &

1924 * ''M. pusio'' (Sclater, PL 1866),

Buff-faced pygmy parrot The buff-faced pygmy parrot (''Micropsitta pusio'') is a very small green parrot found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest in New Britain and New Guinea. Taxonomy The species was first described as ''Nasiterna pusio'' by English natu ...

** ''M. p. beccarii'' (Salvadori 1876) ** ''M. p. harterti'' Mayr 1940 ** ''M. p. pusio'' (Sclater, PL 1866) ** ''M. p. stresemanni''

1926

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q244282 * Psittaculinae Taxa named by René Lesson