Shining parrot

The shining parrots, Prosopeia, are a genus of parrots in the family Psittaculidae.

Shining parrots
Red shining parrot
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittaculidae
Tribe:	Platycercini
Genus:	Prosopeia Bonaparte, 1854
Type species
Caracopsis personata (masked shining parrot) Gray, GR, 1848

The genus is endemic to the islands of Fiji, although one species, the maroon shining parrot, has been introduced to Tonga. The three species are also sometimes known as musk parrots.

The shining-parrots have long tails, a languid crow-like flight and very bright plumage.

Taxonomy

The genus Prosopeia was introduced in 1854 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte to accommodate a single species, the masked shining parrot.^[1][2] The genus name is from the Ancient Greek prosōpeion meaning "mask".^[3] The genus now contains three species:

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
	Prosopeia personata	Masked shining parrot	Viti Levu in Fiji
	Prosopeia tabuensis	Maroon shining parrot	Fiji and Tonga
	Prosopeia splendens	Crimson shining parrot	Fiji

See also

• Birds of Fiji
• Parrots of Oceania

References

1. Bonaparte, Charles Lucien (1854). "Tableau des perroquets". Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée. 2nd (in French). 6: 145–158 [153].
2. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 250.
3. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 318. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.