| Grey-breasted Parakeet | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittacidae |
| Genus: | Pyrrhura |
| Species: | P. griseipectus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pyrrhura griseipectus Salvadori, 1900 |
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| Synonyms | |
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The Grey-breasted Parakeet (Pyrrhura griseipectus) is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to Ceará in north-eastern Brazil and restricted to a few mountains with relatively humid forest and woodland in a region otherwise dominated by arid Caatinga.
Until recently, it was considered a subspecies of the White-eared Parakeet, as Pyrrhura leucotis griseipectus. The split was based on their widely disjunct distributions, differences in measurement of bill, and subtle differences in colour of crown, ear-coverts and chest. A recent study based on mtDNA has failed to confirm the status of the Grey-breasted Parakeet as a species distinct from the White-eared Parakeet, while confirming the species status of Pfrimer's Parakeet.
This parrot is classified as Critically Endangered by BirdLife International. It has an extremely small population and occupies a very small known range. The population is estimated to be less than 250 adult birds.