The mitred parakeet (Psittacara mitratus), also known as the mitred conure in aviculture, is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. It is native to Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. It has been introduced to Uruguay and is established there. There are also substantial populations in the US states of California and Florida and smaller numbers in Hawaii.
Taxonomy and systematics
The mitred parakeet was for a time placed in the genus Aratinga but from about 2013 has been in its present genus Psittacara. Its taxonomy is otherwise unsettled. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes these three subspecies:
P. m. chlorogenys (Arndt, 2006)
P. m. mitratus (Tschudi, 1844)
P. m. tucumanus (Arndt, 2006)
The American Ornithological Society (AOS) and the Clements taxonomy recognize a fourth subspecies, P. m. alticola ("Chapman's parakeet"), that Arndt (2006) had suggested as a separate species. Agnolin (2009) called into question the validity of P. m. tucumanus, and BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) does not recognize it or P. m. alticola, assigning only P. m. chlorogenys and P. m. mitratus to the mitred parakeet.
Arndt (2006) also suggested that another full species, P. hockingi ("Hocking's parakeet"), exists within the mitred parakeet. The IOC, AOS, Clements, and HBW have not accepted this taxon as either a species or subspecies.
