Greater Vasa Parrot

SCI Name:  Coracopsis vasa
Protonym:  Psittacus Vasa Gen.Zool.[Shaw] 8 pt2 p.528
Taxonomy:  Psittaciformes / Psittaculidae / Coracopsis
Taxonomy Code:  vaspar1
Type Locality:  South Africa, error = Madagascar, restricted to the eastern part by Bangs, antea.
Author:  Shaw
Publish Year:  1812
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

CORACOPSIS
(Psittacidae; Ϯ Black Parrot C. nigra) Gr. κοραξ korax, κορακος korakos  raven (i.e. black)  < κρωζω krōzō  to croak; οψις opsis  appearance; "Genus XXIII.  Coracopsis **) Wagl.  Krähensittich.   Rostrum basi cera lata, nuda cinctum; maxilla intumido-compressiuscula, tomiis ad basin subintractis, sicut mandibula longa; haec versus apicem oblique ascendens, apice subattenuato-compressa; nares maximae, patulae; cauda longa, lata, plana, subaequalis; lingua et pedes Psittacorum.  Plumae corvinae sed sine nitore metallico; pili in loris et prope nares.   Africae incolae, ubi locum Platycercorum divisionis β. tenent. Vitae ratio ignota.   Species: 1. C. mascarina. — 2. C. nigra.   ...  **) Kοραξ corvus et οψις vultus." (Wagler 1832); "Coracopsis Wagler, Abh. K. Bayer. Akad. Wiss., Math.-Phys. Kl., 1, 1832, p. 501. Type, by subsequent designation, C. nigra (L.) Wagl. Edwards, t. 5 = Psittacus niger Linné. (G. R. Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 50.)" (Peters, 1937, III, p. 229).
Var. Caracopsis.
Synon. Vaza, Vigorsia.

vasa
Malagasy name Vaza for the Greater Vasa Parrot; ex “Grand Vaza” of Levaillant 1805. In former times the name Vaza, which alludes to the large bill, may have been applied indiscriminately to both of the black parrots on Madagascar (Coracopsis).

Vaza
(syn. Coracopsis Ϯ Greater Vasa Parrot C. vasa) Malagasy name Vaza for the Greater Vasa Parrot (cf. specific name Psittacus vasa Shaw, 1812) (see vasa); "VAZA.  Vaza.  ...  GENRE VAZA (Vaza, de Lesson).  ...  Le VAZA NOIR (Vasa obscura; Psittacus obscurus, de Bechstein; Psittacus Vaza, de Shaw)" (Le Maout 1853).  Var. Vasa.

SUBSPECIES

Greater Vasa Parrot (comorensis)
SCI Name: Coracopsis vasa comorensis
comorensis / comoroensis
Comoro Is., Indian Ocean (Arabic Jazā'ir al-Qamar Islands of the Moon).

Greater Vasa Parrot (drouhardi)
SCI Name: Coracopsis vasa drouhardi
drouhardi
Eugène Jean Drouhard (1874-1945) French botanist, Inspector of Forests, Madagascar (subsp. Coracopsis vasa).

Greater Vasa Parrot (vasa)
SCI Name: Coracopsis vasa vasa
vasa
Malagasy name Vaza for the Greater Vasa Parrot; ex “Grand Vaza” of Levaillant 1805. In former times the name Vaza, which alludes to the large bill, may have been applied indiscriminately to both of the black parrots on Madagascar (Coracopsis).