Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0
Pionus
Sign in to savePionus is a genus of medium-sized parrots native to Mexico, and Central and South America. Characteristic of the genus are the chunky body, bare eye ring (which can vary in color), and short square tail. They are superficially similar to Amazon parrots, but smaller, and in flight their wing-strokes are far deeper. Coloration is generally subdued yet complex compared to member species of the genus Amazona; under bright lighting, their feathers shimmer with iridescent brilliance. All species share bright red undertail coverts; the scientific name of one species, the blue-headed parrot (P. menstr
Species
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderPsittaciformes
- FamilyPsittacidae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 49
- With media
- 78
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Collections
- UNSM, UCM, CLO, UTEP, USNM
- Recorded in
- Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Suriname
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Species
- Pets
- Health
- Diet
- References
- External links
Pionus is a genus of medium-sized parrots native to Mexico, and Central and South America. Characteristic of the genus are the chunky body, bare eye ring (which can vary in color), and short square tail. They are superficially similar to Amazon parrots, but smaller, and in flight their wing-strokes are far deeper. Coloration is generally subdued yet complex compared to member species of the genus Amazona; under bright lighting, their feathers shimmer with iridescent brilliance. All species share bright red undertail coverts; the scientific name of one species, the blue-headed parrot (P. menstruus), refers to this. Males and females are similar, with no notable sexual dimorphism.
==Taxonomy== The genus Pionus was introduced in 1832 by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler. The name is from Ancient Greek piōn, pionos meaning "fat". The type species was designated as the blue-headed parrot by George Robert Gray in 1840.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Pionus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.