Narrative

Barred parakeet (Bolborhynchus lineola) is found from central Mexico to Peru. The subspecies lineola is found from southern central Mexico south into Central America including Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Panama. When sitting this small up to 7 inch green parrot shows some black markings on the wings. When flying the underside shows darker feathers on the wings.

This lifeform is found widely in the New World tropics.

Bolborhynchus genus is found in western South America. There are either three or five species depending upon two species found in the Andes that are sometimes given their own genus Psilopsiagon. All five species are small birds ranging in size from about 6 to a little over 7 inches.

Modern taxonomists appear to lump all the New World parrots, parrotlets, and parakeets into a single group. Although we support their convention, we felt is might be helpful to split the New World members into a group containing the larger parrots and a group containing the smaller parakeets and parrotlets. This division is somewhat arbitrary and was made generally on a common name basis. With respect to size, the blurred dividing line occurs at about 10 inches. There are some parakeets at over 16 inches and some parrots at about 9 inches in length. Howver, parrots and parrotlets generally have short tails while parakeets have longer tails.

Parrots (Family) is the single family in the Parrot order. This family has experienced quite a few fairly recent extinctions, including the Carolina Parakeet and several species that were previously found on the Caribbean Islands. The 128 species of parrots in the New World are particularly threatened. Extensive rain forest clearing and bird capture for the pet trade remain important issues.

We have divided this very large family into groups to facilitate identification and study. We have used the Bates-Busenbark system that divides this family into 5 subfamilies. Owl parrots, Kea parrots, Lorikeets, Pigmy parrots, and the balance into the main family which includes the Macaws, Conures, Parrots, and Parakeets We have further divided the main sub family into three groups based on geography: New World, Eurasian to Australia, and African. The following (incomplete) list of New World species are rare, threatened, endangered or extinct: Threatened Puerto Rican Amazon Amazona vittata Rare Red spectacled Amazon Amazona pretrei Threatened Red Tailed Amazon Amazona brasiliensis Rare Red browed Amazon Amazona rhodocorytha Endangered St. Lucia Amazon Amazona versicolor Endangered Red Necked Amazon Amazona arausiaca Endangered Imperial Amazon Amazona imperialis Endangered St. Vincent Amazon Amazona guildingi Endangered Indigo Macaw Anodorhynchus leari Endangered Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhy hyacinth Extinct Glaucus Macaw Anodorhy glaucus Extinct(?) Blue Throated Macaw Ara glaucogularis Extinct Cuban Red Macaw Ara tricolor Vulnerable Golden Conura Aratinga guarouba Unknown Rufous fronted Parakeet Bolborhynch ferrugin Extinct Carolina Parakeet Conurposis carolinensis Endangered Little Blue Macaw Cyanopsitta spixii Unknown Rusty Faced Parrot Hapalopsittaca amazonina Threatened Golden Plumed Conura Leptositt branickii Vulnerable Yellow Eared Conura Ognorhynchus icterotis Rare Blue Chested Parakeet Pyrrhura cruentata Rare Brown Backed Parrotlet Touit melanonota Unknown Golden tailed Parrotlet Touit surda

Parrots (Order Psittaciformes) are an order of over 330 species of birds that are found in the warmer parts of the world. (Craig Robinson in his book of SE Asian birds estimtes worldwide parrot species at about 358 species.) Many of the species are brightly colored. Characteristics of this order include a top bill which hooks downward, and two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing to the rear. Most students place all the species in this order in a single family.

Many of the species in this family are desirable cage birds, which adds to their vulnerability in their native habitat. For example, a captured Hyacinth Macaw may sell for over $20,000 retail. While most of the species are protected, the various laws seem to have little effect on the trade. However, captive breeding may help protect them.

Aves contains about 8,650 different species of living birds known to science. Each year about one new species is discovered in some remote rain forest or remote island. In addition, scientists have been raising many subspecies to full species status which may raise the species count to 10,000.

However, each year about one species goes extinct. The rate of extinction is increasing, and the rate of new discovery is decreasing, so that the number of bird species will soon begin to decline rapidly. Although different taxonomists would organize the birds differently, there are approximately twenty-seven orders of birds. These orders are broken down into about one hundred and fifty-five different families.

Recent research of the genetic structure of some of the shore birds and owls would indicate that the present organization of orders and families should have some modification.

The birds are a worldwide group of animals that are characterized by having the front limbs modified into wings that are used for flying. Perhaps the most unique feature of the birds is the feathers. These feathers are made up of a central support called a quill and a series of small filaments that are hooked together as barbs.

For many years it was believed that Archaeopteryx discovered in Bavaria was the oldest bird from about 150 million years ago. However, in l986, Sankar Chattterjee, a Texas paleontologist, reportedly discovered a bird in the genus Protoavis that lived about 225 million years ago.

Backboned Animals (Phylum Chordata) are the most advanced group of animals on earth. These animals are characterized by having a spinal cord or backbone. Most members have a clearly defined brain that controls the organism through a spinal cord. Fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals are in this phylum.

Currently, some taxonomists believe that the fish should be divided into two groups (sharks and regular fishes) and that there are some other primitive groups in the phylum such as hagfish or lampreys.