Imperial Parrot

SCI Name:  Amazona imperialis
Protonym:  Amazona imperialis Auk 16 p.186
Taxonomy:  Psittaciformes / Psittacidae / Amazona
Taxonomy Code:  imppar1
Type Locality:  Dominica.
Author:  Richmond
Publish Year:  1899
IUCN Status:  Critically Endangered

DEFINITIONS

AMAZONA
(Psittacidae; Ϯ Southern Mealy Amazon A. farinosa) French name “Amazone” given to various tropical American parrots by de Buffon 1770-1783, because they came from the Amazonian rainforests. The Amazon was probably first seen in 1500 by the Spanish commander Vicente Yáñez Pinzón, but real exploration of the river came with the voyage of Francisco de Orellana in 1540-1541. His florid tales of female warriors, perhaps based on a misunderstood Tupí word amassona ‘boat destroyer’, gave the river its name; "VII.^e Sous-genre. AMAZONE; Amazona.  Bec robuste, très-crochu, épais; à arête rubanée ou formant une dépression aplatie, étroite, qui suit la courbure du bec, les côtés renflés, les bords festonnés; la mandibule inférieure échancrée en avant; narines arrondies, très-ouvertes dans la cire et à rebord saillant; ailes s'étendant jusqu'au tiers de la queue; les tarses très-courts, réticulés, robustes.   26. AMAZONE MEUNIER; Amazona pulverulenta: Psittacus pulverulentus, Gm.; Levaill., Perroq., pl. 92.  ...  plumage vert pruineux et à teint glauque   ...   27. AMAZONE A FRANGES; Amazona Levaillantii: Psittacus Levaillantii, Lath.; Psittacus infuscatus, Shaw.   ...   28. AMAZONE DUFRESNE; Amazona Dufresniana: Psittacus Dufresnianus, Shaw (?); Levaill., pl. 91.   ...   29. AMAZONE A TÊTE JAUNE; Amazona icterocephala: Psittacus ocrocephalus Gm.; Buff., Enl., 312 et 313; Levaill., Perroq., pl. 98." (Lesson 1830); "Amazona Lesson, Traité d'Orn., livr. 3, 1830, p. 189. Type, by subsequent designation, C. farinosa = Psittacus farinosus Boddaert (Salvadori, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., 20, 1891, p. 268)." (Peters, 1937, III, p. 216).
Synon. Androglossa, Chrysotis, Oenochrus.

amazona
Mod. L. Amazonus Amazonian, of Amazonia.
● ex “Amazonian Kingsfisher” of Latham 1782 (Chloroceryle).

imperialis
L. imperialis  imperial  < imperium  power, command, empire  < imperare  to rule over (e.g. large, impressive, clad in imperial purple).
• "Mr. Vigors took the same opportunity of describing and naming two Parrots in the Society's Collection, one of which, now alive in the Menagerie, distinguished by a brilliant purple plumage over the head, nape, and breast, and which came from South America, be characterized under the name of Psittacus augustus" (Vigors 1837); "Psittacus augustus Vigors, P. Z. S. (1836), Jan. 16, 1837, 80, for the Imperial Parrot of Dominica, is preoccupied by Psittacus augustus Shaw, Mus. Lever.., 1792, 59, pl. 2.  This will necessitate a new name for Amazona augusta (Vigors), which may be called Amazona imperialis, this name having stood for several years in Mr. Ridgway's MSS." (Richmond 1899) (Amazona).
• Rudolf II Holy Roman Emperor (1552-1612; reigned 1576-1611 (deposed)) King of Hungary and Croatia, King of Bohemia, Archduke of Austria, patron of the arts and the occult (‡syn. Aphanapteryx bonasia).
• "Ardea imperialis, nom. nov.   This large Heron has been generally known as Ardea insignis, the reference being given as Hume, 'Stray Feathers,' vi. p. 470, 1878.  But the name insignis is preoccupied, for it is first given by Hodgson in 1844, Zool. Misc. p. 86, where it is a nomen nudum.  This is then cited by Gray in 1846 as a synonym of nobilis Blyth (Gray, Cat. Birds Nepal, p. 133), and again as a synonym of sumatrana Raffles by Gray in 1871 (Handb. Gen. Sp. Birds, p. 27).  The name consequently cannot be resuscitated by Hume for his bird." (Stuart Baker 1929) (Ardea).
• "In this respect it as far exceeds the ivory-billed Woodpecker of the United States, Picus principalis, as the latter does the Pic. Martius of Europe.  Mr. Gould described it as the PICUS  IMPERIALIS  ...  this species is readily distinguishable from the Pic. principalis by its much larger size; by the length of its occipital crest, the pendent silky feathers of which measure nearly 4 inches" (Gould 1832) (‡Campephilus).
• "6.  GALLINAGO  IMPERIALIS, sp. n.  ...  There can be no question, however, that our bird shows considerable rapprochement towards true Scolopax, though we think it best to keep it within the limits of Gallinago, its nearest structural allies being G. stricklandi and G. jamesoni, both of which have short robust tarsi and the tibiæ feathered, as in the present species, nearly down to the tarsal joint." (P. Sclater & Salvin 1869) (Gallinago).
• Khai Dinh (1885-1925) Emperor of Annam 1916-1925 (Lophura edwardsi x Lophura nycthemera hybrid).