nanday parakeet
nanday conure
black-hooded parakeet
Aratinga nenday latin

Nanday parakeet (Aratinga nenday)

Aratinga vorohuensis is a prehistoric relative of the nanday parakeet described from Late Pliocene fossils found in Argentina.

Furthermore, the closely related nanday parakeet (Aratinga nenday) and the dusky-headed parakeet (Aratinga weddellii) are placed in this genus.

The nanday parakeet (Aratinga nenday) also known as the black-hooded parakeet or nanday conure is a medium-small mostly green Neotropical parrot.

The nanday parakeet was a member of the monotypic genus Nandayus one of the approximately 16 genera of Neotropical parrots of tribe Arini which includes the conures and macaws.

The nanday parakeet was previously placed in its own genus based on the differences in coloration and elongated upper mandible, but this was not supported by phylogenetic studies that showed a close relationship with the solitarius complex species.

According to a study of mitochondrial DNA recovered from museum specimens, their closest living relatives include some of the South American Aratinga parakeets: the Nanday parakeet, the sun parakeet, and the golden-capped parakeet.

Based on size, morphology and plumage, this species is believed to be a close living relative of the extinct Carolina parakeet, possibly the closest, though that has not been confirmed by molecular phylogenetics which found the nanday parakeet to be the Carolina parakeet's closest living relative among the species tested.