View source for Rhynchopsitta

{{Short description|Genus of birds}}
{{about|the genus of parrots|the species|Thick-billed parrot}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Thick-billed parrot
| image = Thick-billed Parrot 2.jpg
| image_caption = Adult [[thick-billed parrot]], ''Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha''<br/>at [[Cincinnati Zoo]], US
| image_upright = 1.2
| taxon = Rhynchopsitta
| authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1854
| type_species = ''[[Thick-billed parrot|Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha]]''<ref name=HM4>{{cite web |url= https://www.aviansystematics.org/4th-edition-checklist?viewfamilies=67 |title= Psittacidae |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website= aviansystematics.org |publisher= The Trust for Avian Systematics |access-date= 2023-07-24}}</ref>
| type_species_authority = Swainson, 1827
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = 
''[[Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha]]'' <small>([[William Swainson|Swainson]], 1827)</small><br/>
''[[Rhynchopsitta terrisi]]'' <small>[[Robert Thomas Moore|Moore, RT]], 1947</small><br/>
†''[[Rhynchopsitta phillipsi]]'' <small>Rea, 1997</small>
}}

The '''thick-billed parrots''' are stocky brilliant green [[Neotropical parrot]]s with heavy black beaks of genus '''''Rhynchopsitta''''' of thick billed macaw-like parrots. The genus comprises two extant species, the [[thick-billed parrot]]  and the [[maroon-fronted parrot]], as well as an extinct species from the [[Late Pleistocene]] in [[Mexico]].  The two extant taxa were formerly considered conspecific; they have become rare and are restricted to a few small areas in northern Mexico. The range of the thick-billed parrot formerly extended into the southwestern United States; attempts at reintroduction have been unsuccessful so far.

==Description==
The two living species have a similar overall appearance, the principal differences lying in their relative sizes and brightness of coloration. Both are mainly green, with red or maroon markings on the forehead, forecrown, broad superciliary stripe, and [[feather]]s on the bend of the [[wing]], the carpal edge and the thighs.  Their eye-rings are yellow, with the feet and [[beak]] dark gray to black. Juveniles have a pale beak fading to gray at the base,<ref>{{cite book |first=Joseph M. |last=Forshaw |author-link=Joseph Forshaw |title=Parrots of the World; an Identification Guide |url=https://archive.org/details/parrotsofworldid0000fors |url-access=registration |others=Illustrated by Frank Knight |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=0-691-09251-6 |page=plate 74 |no-pp=yes |year=2006 }}</ref> whitish eye-rings, and a red brow, but lack the dark red stripes over the eye-rings. The [[maroon-fronted parrot]] is generally dark green with [[maroon (color)|maroon]]-brown head markings and is between 40&nbsp;cm&nbsp;(16&nbsp;in) and 45&nbsp;cm&nbsp;(18&nbsp;in) in length while the thick-billed parrot is about 38&nbsp;cm&nbsp;(15&nbsp;in) long with brighter colors.<ref name =BirdLife-1584/><ref name =BirdLife-1585/><ref name=forshaw>{{cite book | first= Joseph M.| last= Forshaw|author2=Cooper, William T. |year= 1981|orig-year=1973, 1978|edition=corrected second| title= Parrots of the World|publisher=David & Charles, Newton Abbot, London|isbn=0-7153-7698-5}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The genus was described by French naturalist [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]; the name is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] terms ''rhynchos'' "beak", and ''psitta'' "parrot". The two extant taxa were considered subspecies of a single species,<ref name=forshaw/> before being split.<ref name = zoonomen>{{cite web | url =http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/psit.html |title = Zoological Nomenclature Resource: Psittaciformes (Version 9.020) |date =2009-03-01|publisher = www.zoonomen.net }}</ref>

*''Rhynchopsitta'' <small>Bonaparte, 1854</small>
** ''Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha'' <small>([[William Swainson|Swainson]], 1827)</small> ([[thick-billed parrot]])
** ''Rhynchopsitta terrisi'' <small>Moore, 1947</small> ([[maroon-fronted parrot]])
** [[Extinction|†]]''[[Rhynchopsitta phillipsi]]'' <small>Rea, 1997</small> - extinct

''Rhynchopsitta phillipsi'', a larger prehistoric relative, was described from [[Late Pleistocene]] [[fossils]] found in [[Nuevo León]], [[Mexico]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Rea|first=A.M.|title=The indeterminate parrot of Nuevo Leon|publisher=Horizon|location=Albuquerque, NM|year=1997|series=The era of Alan R. Phillips: A festschrift|pages=167–176}}</ref> It was not an ancestor to the living species, as bones of them were also found at [[San Josecito Cave]] when ''R. phillipsi''{{'s}} remains were recovered. The prehistoric species had a distinct bill shape and may have occurred [[sympatric]]ally with the [[maroon-fronted parrot]] in the northern [[Sierra Madre Oriental]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Arroyo-Cabrales|first=Joaquín |author2=Johnson, Eileen |year=2003|title=Catálogo de los ejemplares tipo procedentes de la Cueva de San Josecito, Nuevo León, México|journal=[[Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas]]|volume=20|issue=1|pages=79–93|url=http://satori.geociencias.unam.mx/20-1/(6)Arroyo.pdf }}</ref> Possibly its bill was adapted to feeding on a species of [[pine]] which disappeared due to [[Climate change (general concept)|climate change]] at the end of the [[Quaternary glaciation|last ice age]], driving it to [[extinct]]ion.

==Ecology==
Both extant species are found at heights of between 1500 and 3000&nbsp;m [[above mean sea level|asl]] in Mexico in isolated island-like forest habitats in the [[Sierra Madre Oriental|Sierra Madre]],<ref name=forshaw/><ref name=MPB>{{cite book|last=Enkerlin-Hoeflich|first=Ernesto C. |author2=Noel F.R. Snyder |author3=James W. Wiley |title=Behavior of Wild ''Amazona'' and ''Rhynchopsitta'' Parrots with Comparative Insights from Other Psittacines|editor=Andrew U. Luescher|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|year=2006|series=Manual of Parrot Behavior|isbn=978-0-8138-2749-0}}</ref> and are sometimes called snow parrots because of their high-altitude habitat.<ref name=SDZOO/> They show seasonal migration patterns,<ref name=forshaw/><ref name=SDZOO/> generally breeding in the northern parts of their range and overwintering in the southern.<ref name =BirdLife-1584/><ref name =BirdLife-1585/><ref name=BNAO>{{cite web|url=http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/406|title=Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha)|last=Snyder|first=N. F. |author2=E. C. Enkerlin-Hoeflich |author3=M. A. Cruz-Nieto|year=1999|work=The Birds of North America Online|editor=A. Poole|publisher=Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology|access-date=2009-03-07}}</ref> The thick-billed parrot nests in [[tree hollow|tree cavities]],<ref name =BirdLife-1584/><ref name=MPB/> while the maroon-fronted parrot is a cliff cavity breeder.<ref name =BirdLife-1585/><ref name=MPB/> The parrots roost at night in large flocks, while they forage during the day in smaller flocks over a large area.<ref name=forshaw/> They feed primarily on [[Pinus|pine]] seeds, which they extract by systematically stripping the [[Conifer cone|cones]] from the base to the top.<ref name=forshaw/><ref name=SDZOO/> They also eat other seeds such as [[acorn]]s, as well as softer foods such as [[fruit]]s, [[Bark (botany)|bark]], [[nectar]], other vegetable matter, and [[insect]]s.<ref name=forshaw/><ref name=SDZOO>{{cite web|url=http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-thick-billed_parrot.html|title=Birds: Thick-billed Parrot |publisher=San Diego Zoo's Animals Bytes|access-date=2009-03-07}}</ref>

==Status==
Both the thick-billed and the maroon-fronted parrot are classified as [[Endangered species|endangered]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]].  They are listed on [[CITES]] Appendix I, trade forbidden except for legitimate conservation, scientific or educational purposes. They are also protected under Mexican General Wildlife Law (2008), import and export prohibited. The populations of both species have declined primarily due to habitat degradation, and now both are restricted to a few small areas in the mountains of northern Mexico.<ref name=IUCNRT/><ref name=IUCNRP/> The range of the thick-billed parrot formerly extended into [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]], and attempts are being made to breed the species in captivity for release into the wild in their former range their.<ref name=BNAO/><ref name=IUCNRP/> An earlier attempt in the 1980s and 1990s to reintroduce thick-billed parrots to Arizona failed because the captive-bred birds had not learned to avoid their natural and human predators,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/website/content/view/2099/32/|title=New reserve offers hope for reintroduction of Thick-billed Parrots to the US|date=24 November 2008|work=Birdwatch|publisher=Solo Publishing Ltd.|access-date=2009-03-07|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129235122/http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/website/content/view/2099/32/|archive-date=29 January 2010}}</ref> but new plans for the reintroduction of this species include the use of wild-caught individuals.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Guerra|first=Jaime E.|author2=Javier Cruz-Nieto |author3=Sonia Gabriela Ortiz-Maciel |author4=Timothy F. Wright |year=2008|title=Limited geographic variation in the vocalizations of the endangered Thick-billed Parrot: Implications for conservation strategies|journal=The Condor|volume=110|issue=4|pages=639–647 |doi=10.1525/cond.2008.8609|pmc=3270582 |pmid=22307993}}</ref>

==Species==
{{Species table |genus= Rhynchopsitta |authority-name=|authority-year= |species-count=two|no-note=y|narrow-percent=75}}

{{Species table/row
|name=Thick-billed parrot |binomial=[[Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha]]
|image=File:Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha -captive-8a-4c.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=Swainson |authority-year=1827 |authority-not-original=yes
|range= [[Sierra Madre Occidental]] in [[Mexico]] (and reintroduced to the U.S.)<ref name=IUCNRP>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T22685766A110475642 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22685766A110475642.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
|range-image=File:Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=A mostly green medium-sized parrot, 38&nbsp;cm&nbsp;(15&nbsp;in) long. Adults have a large black bill. a red brow, amber irises, red at the bend of the wings, and red thighs. Juveniles have brown irises and a pale peak. The under-wings and tail appear blackish.<ref name =BirdLife-1584>[http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1584&m=0 Thick-billed Parrot - BirdLife Species Factsheet]</ref>
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status= EN
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/row
|name= Maroon-fronted parrot|binomial=[[Rhynchopsitta terrisi]]
|image=File:Rhynchopsitta terrisi.jpg|image-size=180px |image-alt=
|authority-name=R.T. Moore |authority-year=1947 |authority-not-original=
|range= [[Sierra Madre Oriental]] in Mexico<ref name=IUCNRT>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2020 |title=''Rhynchopsitta terrisi'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T22685772A179400190 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22685772A179400190.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
|range-image=File:Rhynchopsitta terrisi map.svg
|range-image-size=180px
|size=A large mostly green parrot about 40&nbsp;cm&nbsp;(16&nbsp;in) to 45&nbsp;cm&nbsp;(18&nbsp;in) long. The adults have a dark maroon brow which extends over the rim of bare yellow skin that surrounds the eyes. They have a brighter red at the bend of the wing. The tail is long and pointed. The underside of the wings are blackish.<ref name = BirdLife-1585>[http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1585&m=0 Maroon-fronted Parrot - BirdLife Species Factsheet.]</ref>
|habitat=
|hunting=
|iucn-status=EN
|population=
|direction=
|subspecies=
}}

{{Species table/end}}

===Fossils===
{| width = 98% class="wikitable" 
! align="center" style="background-color: #D3D3A4" colspan ="4" |'''Species'''
|- 
! width = "21%" |Common and binomial names<ref name = zoonomen/>
! Image
! align="center" |Description
! width = "18%" |Range
|-
|†''Rhynchopsitta phillipsi''
|
|Large parrot with a distinct bill shape
|Late Pleistocene fossils of the extinct parrot have been found in Mexico.
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{Psittacopasseres|Ps.|state=collapsed}}
{{Portal bar|Birds}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q841237}}

[[Category:Rhynchopsitta| ]]
[[Category:Endemic birds of Mexico| ]]
[[Category:Natural history of Nuevo León]]
[[Category:Bird genera]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Charles Lucien Bonaparte]]