Myiopsitta


Myiopsitta is a genus of parrots in the family Psittacidae. They are native to southeastern South America, from Bolivia and southern Brazil, south to central Argentina. They have also become invasive species where introduced elsewhere, due to the damage to crops and electrical infrastructure they cause, in parts of Europe.
The genus was introduced by French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854. The type species was subsequent designated as the monk parakeet by English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1855. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek mus, muos meaning "mouse" and the Neo-Latin psitta meaning "parrot". The name alludes to the mouse-grey face and underparts of the monk parakeet.

Species

Two species are currently accepted; in the past, many authors merged them as just one species within the genus:
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Myiopsitta monachusMonk parakeetArgentina, Brazil, and Uruguay
Myiopsitta luchsiCliff parakeetsoutheastern La Paz to the northern Chuquisaca department, Bolivia