Brotogeris is a genus of small parrots endemic to Central and South America. Their closest relatives are the monk parakeet and the cliff parakeet in the genus Myiopsitta. They eat seeds and fruit. The word brotogeris means "having the voice of a human". In the language of their native countries, which is mostly Spanish, they are called pericos – the translation of which is "parakeet". Their average lifespan is 15 years, although some have been reported to have lived up to 35 years. Also, the bird was found in Rio Grande do Sul in South America.
Taxonomy
The genus Brotogeris was introduced in 1825 by Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors with Psittacus pyrrhopterus Latham, the grey-cheeked parakeet, as the type species. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek brotogērus meaning "with human voice".
The genus contains eight species:
Image
Common name
Scientific name
Distribution
Tui parakeet
Brotogeris sanctithomae
Brazil, and Amazonian Peru, Bolivia, eastern Ecuador, and south-eastern Colombia.
Plain parakeet
Brotogeris tirica
Brazil.
White-winged parakeet
Brotogeris versicolurus
southeast Colombia to the river's mouth in Brazil.
Yellow-chevroned parakeet, canary-winged parakeet
Brotogeris chiriri
central Brazil to southern Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina.
Grey-cheeked parakeet
Brotogeris pyrrhoptera
northwestern Peru and western Ecuador
Orange-chinned parakeet, Tovi parakeet
Brotogeris jugularis
from Mexico, through Central America, to Venezuela.
Cobalt-winged parakeet
Brotogeris cyanoptera
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; and Brazil
Golden-winged parakeet
Brotogeris chrysoptera
Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, (the Guianas), and Venezuela
The species form a monophyletic group whose closest relatives are the monk parakeet and the cliff parakeet in the genus Myiopsitta. Within Brotogeris the species are divided into two separate clades.
