Grass parakeets
| Grass parakeets | ||||||||||||
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Great Parakeet ( Neophema splendida ) |
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| Neophema | ||||||||||||
| Salvadori , 1891 |
The grass parakeets ( Neophema ) are a genus of parrots that are counted among the flat-tailed parakeets . The genus occurs exclusively on the Australian mainland, Tasmania and offshore islands of the south coast of Australia and the islands of the Bass Strait . The most unusual distribution area among the grass parakeets is the cliff parakeet , which occurs on rocky islands and along the coastline. It also does not breed in tree hollows, but uses crevices and ledges. The fine parakeeton the other hand, shows a pronounced draft behavior. It breeds on Tasmania as well as on the extreme southeast coast of Australia. The populations on Tasmania migrate to mainland Australia during the winter half-year, crossing the 300-kilometer-wide Bass Strait.
Appearance
The grass parakeets are small representatives of the flat-tailed parakeets. They reach a body length between 20 and 22 centimeters and weigh about 40 to almost 60 grams.
The two sub-genera show a differently pronounced gender dimorphism . It is weakly pronounced in the subgenus Neon anodes . The four representatives of this subgenus all have a striking blue headband. In contrast, all four species lack a red component in the plumage. It is also characterized by a blue wing bow and matt olive areas on the upper side of the body. The lower half of the underside of the body, however, is bright yellow.
Extensive blue face masks are characteristic of the beautiful parakeet and the golden parakeet . Only the males have red feathers. The females, however, have a pale under wing stripe.
Systematics
For a time the Bourke's Parakeet was also counted among the grass parakeets. This is now placed in its own genus, as both the morphological and ecological adaptations of the species suggest that the Bourke's Parakeet specialized in a life in the Australian desert a long time ago. This assessment has been confirmed by biochemical studies. The Bourke parakeet is not closely related to the grass parakeet and is now assigned to its own genus, the Bourke parakeet ( Neopsephotus ). The biochemical studies, however, have shown that both the budgie and the parakeet are close relatives of the grass parakeets .
species
Today six species are usually counted among the grass parakeets, which are divided into two sub-genera:
- Neon anodes subgenus :
- Parakeet ( N. chrysostoma )
- African parakeet ( N. elegans )
- Cliff Parakeet ( N. petrophila )
- Golden-bellied parakeet ( N. chrysogaster )
- Subgenus Neophema :
- Parakeet ( N. pulchella )
- Great Parakeet ( N. splendida )
supporting documents
Individual evidence
literature
- Joseph M. Forshaw : Australian Parrots. 1st German-language edition. Volume 2, Arndt-Verlag, Bretten 2003, ISBN 3-9808245-2-7 .
