NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Brown-backed Parrotlet
Touit melanonotus (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The brown-backed parrotlet (Touit melanonotus) also known as the black-backed parrotlet, the black-eared parrotlet, and Wied's parrotlet, is a small (15 cm or 6 in) green parrot found in south-eastern Brazil from Bahia to southern São Paulo. It has a dark brown mantle and back, brown ear coverts, and red outer tail with back tips. They frequent humid forest from 500–1,000 m (1,600–3,300 ft) (occasionally down to sea level), and are mostly found in small flocks of 3–20 birds.
Wikipedia contributors, Brown-backed parrotlet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:53:25.941742+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Touit melanonotus (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820)
- Name authority
- (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820)
- Common name
- Brown-backed Parrotlet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittacidae
- Genus
- Touit
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittacidae
- genusTouit G. R. Gray, 1855
- speciesTouit melanonotus (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Touit. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Scarlet-shouldered ParrotletTouit huetii (Temminck, 1830) | PsittacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Spot-winged ParrotletTouit stictopterus (P. L. Sclater, 1862) | PsittacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Blue-fronted ParrotletTouit dilectissimus (P. L. Sclater & Salvin, 1871) | PsittacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Lilac-tailed ParrotletTouit batavicus (Boddaert, 1783) | PsittacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-fronted ParrotletTouit costaricensis (Cory, 1913) | PsittacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sapphire-rumped ParrotletTouit purpuratus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | PsittacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Golden-tailed ParrotletTouit surdus (Kuhl, 1820) | PsittacidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Touit melanonota (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820) (zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820) | synonym |
| Psittacus melanonotus zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820 zu Wied-Neuwied, 1820 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554913 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:57KGH. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.