Echo Parakeet
Psittacula eques
Near ThreatenedAves · Psittaciformes · Psittacidae
About
The echo parakeet is a species of parrot endemic to the Mascarene Islands of Mauritius and formerly Réunion. It is the only living native parrot of the Mascarene Islands; all others have become extinct due to human activity. Two subspecies have been recognised, the extinct Réunion parakeet and the living echo parakeet, sometimes known as the Mauritius parakeet. The relationship between the two populations has been historically disputed. A 2015 DNA study compared the DNA of echo parakeets with a skin sample thought to be from a Réunion parakeet and determined them to be subspecies of the same species. However, it has also been suggested they did not constitute different subspecies. As it was named first, the binomial name of the Réunion parakeet is used for the species; the Réunion subspecies thereby became P. eques eques, while the Mauritius subspecies became P. eques echo. Their closest relative was the extinct Newton's parakeet of Rodrigues, and the three are grouped among the subspecies of the rose-ringed parakeet of Asia and Africa.
Fun Fact
The echo parakeet was also hunted by early visitors to Mauritius and due to destruction and alteration of its native habitat, its numbers declined throughout the 20th century, reaching as few as eight to 12 in the 1980s, when it was referred to as "the world's rarest parrot".
Quick Facts
Habitat
Found in the Black River Gorges, some in areas of the Bel Ombre forest that had not been surveyed before and others within the known breeding range.
Diet
Eats parts such as fruits (53%), leaves (31%), flowers (12%), buds, young shoots, seeds, twigs, and bark or sap (4%).
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Hunting and Collection
- Climate Change