Golden Macaw - a new macaw species!!!!!!

[texbird]

Have you guys seen that scientists have decided that the Golden Conure (Queen of Bavaria Conure) is really a macaw?

Its a mini-macaw about 12inches, all solid golden-yellow with green wing tips.

Its apparently rare in aviculture and threatened in brazil as usual .

Said to make very good pets but so rare that they should only be kept as breeding pairs - requires a federal permit for cross-state sales in U.S. and I assume no importing allowed.

info page:
Golden Conure

I dont have a link to the scientific paper reclassifying it.

[SunMommy]

WOW that is neat.

[texbird]

[Copper]

Neat!
I hadn't heard of a reclassifacation.

[prissyCrissie]

omg thats amazing.
I wonder how many other parrot species have not-yet been classifeid as macaws.... lol. just a thought

[Oscars Mom]

Does anyone on the board have one?Its gorgeous

[Amie]

The other day some friends of mine and I were deep in the conversation about "parrot vs. parakeet vs. macaw" and something I read said that mini macs are in the parakeet classification because they are more closely related to the conures than the big macaws.

So, I guess it's an easy mistake??

They are quite pretty! Thanks for sharing!!

[DarwinTheSun]

It is not really a mistake. Scientists believe that the only real taxon is the species. All other taxonomic classifications are not "real groups" they are just easy ways to delimit species relationships. So, it always depends on where you want to draw the line in the sand, so to speak. Conures are what we call a "paraphyletic group" meaning they do not have one common ancestor, but several. Some are closely related to macaws, and some are more closely related to other parakeets. Anyway, I am a systematic nerd.

[birdsnreps]

i know a few of people that have goldies, they are awesome birds, but very needy and do better if kept in pairs. they do stay very tame even when kept as pairs, so thats the good thing. i plan on getting myself a pair sometime in the near future. i knew they were trying to reclassify them, i thought a goldie breeder told me a while back that they had already been reclassified

[huntress]

Whatever, It has a Mac beak.