The green-cheeked parakeet or green-cheeked conure (Pyrrhura molinae) is a small parrot of the genus Pyrrhura, which is part of a long-tailed group of the New World parrot subfamily Arinae. It is native to the forests of Central and South America. The term conure is often used for this parrot and its relatives in aviculture, as it is one of the most popular species of companion parrot. This species is known for its seemingly fearless nature, and for its clownish personality when domesticated. Description The green-cheeked parakeet is typically long and weighs 60 to 80 g. It is mainly green, with a brown/black/grey crown, white periophthalmic rings, green cheeks, blue primary wing feathers, a grey beak, and a long, mainly maroon tail. It has short transverse striations on its breast and a red abdominal area. Males and females have a mostly identical external appearance. The only truly verifiable way to identify the gender of a green-cheeked parakeet is through a DNA test. Taxonomy The green-cheeked parakeet has six subspecies: Pyrrhura molinae, (Massena & Souance 1854) P. m. australis, Todd 1915 P. m. flavoptera, Maijer, Herzog, Kessler, Friggens & Fjeldsa 1998 P. m. hypoxantha,(Salvadori 1899) P. m. molinae, (Massena & Souance 1854) P. m. phoenicura, (Schlegel 1864) P. m. restricta, Todd 1947 P. m. sordida naturally occurs as a common green morph or as a rare yellow morph (which however is more frequent in captivity). The yellow morph is also called the yellow-sided conure and was once erroneously considered to be a separate species, P. hypoxantha. As P. hypoxantha was described before P. m. sordida the older name goes first, therefore P. m. sordida is called P. m. hypoxantha these days. The green-cheeked parakeet is similar to the maroon-bellied parakeet (P. frontalis), and formerly there have been speculations that they were conspecific. It is also similar in appearance to the blaze-winged parakeet and the black-capped parakeet. Distribution and habitat The green-cheeked parakeet occurs in west-central and southern Mato Grosso, Brazil, northern and eastern Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, and western Paraguay. Its habitat is forests and woodland, where it usually forms flocks of 10 to 20 individuals at treetop level, or larger flocks where there is more food. It is also emerging as a popular pet for families and individuals. Diet and behavior The green-cheeked parakeet has a varied diet that, in the wild, consists of fruits, seeds, flowers and, to a lesser