Blue lorikeet

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Blue lorikeet
Lori peruviana.jpg
Tuamotu, French Polynesia
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Genus: Vini
Species:
V. peruviana
Binomial name
Vini peruviana
(Müller, 1776)

The blue lorikeet (Vini peruviana) is a small lorikeet from French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. It is also known as the Tahiti lorikeet, violet lorikeet, Tahitian lory, blue lory, nunbird, and the indigo lory. It was formerly found on 23 islands around Tahiti, but now restricted to perhaps eight islands: Aitutaki, Apataki, Arutua, Kaukura, Manuae, Maupihaa, Motu One, Rangiroa, and possibly Manihi and Manuae. Its plumage is mainly dark blue and it has a white area over its upper chest, throat and face. The first captive breeding in the UK was by the Marquess of Tavistock in the 1930s. He was awarded a silver medal by the Foreign Bird League for this achievement.

Contents

They are active birds, feeding on nectar, insects, and ground forage.

Distribution and habitat

Vini peruviana in Rangiroa Psitaccilidae - Vini peruviana.jpg
Vini peruviana in Rangiroa

The blue lorikeet was originally endemic to the islands of French Polynesia.

It is also present in the Cook Islands, where it is one of a small number of landbirds on the island of Aitutaki. Dean Amadon, writing in 1942 after the Whitney South Seas Expedition, thought that it might have been introduced to the Cooks. [2] David Steadman, who studied the extinct species of the areas, wrote in 1991 that it might have been but that he could find no evidence of this. Had it been native there it would have coexisted with Kuhl's lorikeet; today no Vini lorikeets are sympatric. [3] He later concluded that it was probably introduced, as extensive excavations of fossils had found remains of Kuhl's lorikeet as well as two other species of extinct Vini lorikeet, but no fossils of the blue lorikeet. [4]

The blue lorikeet will live in any wooded habitat within its range, including cultivated areas. [5] It is most abundant in mixed stands of coconuts and Heliotropium foertherianum . [6]

Description

The blue lorikeet is 18 cm long with a short rounded tail. Its plumage is mainly dark blue and it has a white area over its upper chest, throat and lower face. Erectile feathers on the top of its head show light blue streaks. Its beak is orange and its irises are yellow-brown. It has orange legs. Adult males and females have identical external appearance. The juvenile lacks the white plumage of the adult and has a dark grey-blue face and lower parts. The juvenile also has a black bill, dark brown irises, and its legs are orange brown. [7] Blue plumage, which is shares with the related ultramarine lorikeet, is very unusual in the parrot order. [8]

Behaviour

They roost in coconut palm trees, rising at dawn and calling and preening before feeding. [9] They are usually found in small flocks of less than ten birds. They rest during the heat of the day in shade before resuming feeding in the afternoon. At dusk groups fly around calling until dark, when they retreat to spaces between palm leaves to roost for the night. [9]

Diet and feeding

Blue lorikeets feed on the nectar and pollen of coconut palms (Cocos nucifera), Guettarda speciosa , Pemphis acidula , bay cedar ( Suriana maritima ), beach mulberry ( Morinda citrifolia ), Heliotropium foertherianum, Scaevola spp and Musa . [6] On Rangiroa they fed mostly on coconut flowers during one three week study. [9] They feed silently in small groups, and use their brush-like tongue to lap up nectar and pollen. Where flowers had not fully opened, they will use their bills to open them. After all the flowers on one tree have been fed at, they will move to the next tree, calling as they go. They also feed on insects among leaves and on the forest floor, and on leaf shoots and soft fruits. [6] [9]

Status

At Walsrode Bird Park, Germany Vini peruviana -captive-8a.jpg
At Walsrode Bird Park, Germany

They are endangered primarily by invasive species, including cats, rats, swamp harriers, and mosquitoes carrying avian malaria.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loriini</span> Tribe of birds

Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the parrot family Psittaculidae. The group consists of the lories and lorikeets. Traditionally, they were considered a separate subfamily (Loriinae) from the other subfamily (Psittacinae) based on the specialized characteristics, but recent molecular and morphological studies show that the group is positioned in the middle of various other groups. They are widely distributed throughout the Australasian region, including south-eastern Asia, Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Australia, and the majority have very brightly coloured plumage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loriinae</span> Subfamily of birds

Loriinae is a subfamily of psittacine birds, one of the five subfamilies that make up the family Psittaculidae. It consists of three tribes, the lories and lorikeets (Loriini), the budgerigar (Melopsittacini) and the fig parrots (Cyclopsittini), which are small birds, mostly of bright colors and inhabitants of Oceania and the islands of Southeast Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teraina</span> Coral atoll in the Line Islands belonging to Kiribati

Teraina is a coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean and part of the Northern Line Islands which belong to Kiribati. Obsolete names of Teraina are New Marquesas, Prospect Island, and New York Island. The island is located approximately 4.71° North latitude and 160.76° West longitude. Teraina differs from most other atolls in the world in that it has a large freshwater lake, an open lens, concealed within its luxuriant coconut palm forest; this is the only permanent freshwater lake in the whole of Kiribati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scaly-breasted lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The scaly-breasted lorikeet is an Australian lorikeet found in woodland in eastern Australia. The common name aptly describes this bird, which has yellow breast feathers broadly edged with green that look like scales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Caledonian lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The New Caledonian lorikeet is a potentially extinct lorikeet endemic to the Melanesian island of New Caledonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-crowned lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The blue-crowned lorikeet, also known as the blue-crowned lory, blue-crested lory, Solomon lory or Samoan lory, is a parrot found throughout the Lau Islands (Fiji), Tonga, Samoa, Niue and adjacent islands, including: ʻAlofi, Fotuhaʻa, Fulago, Futuna, Haʻafeva, Niuafoʻou, Moce, Niue, Ofu, Olosega, Samoa, Savaiʻi, Tafahi, Taʻu, Tofua, Tonga, Tungua, ʻUiha, ʻUpolu, Varoa, Vavaʻu, and Voleva. It is a 19 cm green lorikeet with a red throat, blue crown, and belly patch shading from red at the top to purple at the bottom.

The blue-fronted lorikeet also known as the Buru lorikeet, is a parrot endemic to the Indonesian island of Buru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-streaked lory</span> Species of bird

The blue-streaked lory is also known as the blue-necked lory. It is a medium-sized parrot (31 cm), which is found on the Tanimbar Islands and Babar in the southern Moluccas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conquered lorikeet</span> Extinct species of bird

The conquered lorikeet is a species of parrot that became extinct 700–1300 years ago. It lived in islands of Polynesia. David Steadman and Marie Zarriello wrote its species description in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-and-blue lory</span> Species of bird

The red-and-blue lory is a small, strikingly-colored parrot endemic to Indonesia. The species inhabits a single island, Karakelong, in the Indonesian archipelago, although it was formerly found on the Sangihe Islands and other parts of the Talaud Islands.

<i>Vini</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Vini is a genus of birds in the family Psittaculidae that are endemic to the islands of the tropical Pacific. There are eleven extant species of these small lorikeets ranging from the Bismark Archipelago through Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia, and as far east as Henderson Island. All members of the genus have exceptional bright plumage, particularly the unusual all over blues of the blue lorikeet and the ultramarine lorikeet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-fronted lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The red-fronted lorikeet, also known as the red-spotted lorikeet or red-rumped lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in northern New Guinea and the island of Biak. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collared lory</span> Species of bird

The collared lory is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the islands of Fiji. It is the only Fijian rainforest bird to adapt to urban landscapes and can be found in urban Suva. Measuring 20 cm (7.9 in), it has bright red underparts and face with a purple crown and greenish upperparts. Males and females are similar in plumage, although the latter have a paler crown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pohnpei lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The Pohnpei lorikeet, known as serehd in Pohnpeian, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the island of Pohnpei and the nearby Ant Atoll in Micronesia. Historically the species also occurred on Namoluk Atoll near Chuuk, and the species may once have had a wider distribution throughout Micronesia than it does today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuhl's lorikeet</span> Species of bird

Kuhl's lorikeet (Vini kuhlii), also called the Rimitara lorikeet, Kuhl's lory, Manu 'Ura (local appellation) or Kura (Cook Islands), is a species of lorikeet in the family Psittaculidae. It is one of several species of Vini lorikeets found in islands ranging across the South Pacific. The Kuhl for whom Nicholas Aylward Vigors named the bird in 1824 was Heinrich Kuhl, a German ornithologist whose survey of the parrots, Conspectus psittacorum, had appeared in 1819.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen's lorikeet</span> Species of bird

Stephen's lorikeet, also known as the Henderson lorikeet or the Henderson Island Lorikeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands of the South Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultramarine lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The ultramarine lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae, endemic to the Marquesas Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and plantations. It is threatened mainly by introduction of the black rat and also by deforestation.

<i>Eos</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Eos is a genus of parrots belonging to the lories and lorikeets tribe of the family Psittaculidae. There are six species which are all endemic to islands of eastern Indonesia, most within very restricted ranges. They have predominantly red plumage with blue, purple or black markings. Males and females are similar in appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Polynesian tropical moist forests</span> Terrestrial ecoregion in central Polynesia

The Central Polynesian tropical moist forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion in Polynesia. It includes the northern group of the Cook Islands, the Line Islands in Kiribati, and Johnston Atoll, Jarvis Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef which are possessions of the United States.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Vini peruviana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22684641A95212213. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22684641A95212213.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Amadon, Dean (1942). "Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Expedition. 50, Notes on some non-passerine genera. 2" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (1176): 1–21.
  3. Steadman, David (1991). "Extinct and Extirpated Birds from Aitutaki and Atiu, Southern Cook Islands" (PDF). Pacific Science. 45 (4): 325–347. ISSN   0030-8870.
  4. Steadman (2006) p. 218.
  5. Collar, N. & Kirwan, G.M. (2017). Blue Lorikeet (Vini peruviana). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/54459 on 20 May 2017).
  6. 1 2 3 Ziembicki (2006), p. 19.
  7. Forshaw (2006). plate 15.
  8. Schweizer, Manuel; Wright, Timothy F.; Peñalba, Joshua V.; Schirtzinger, Erin E.; Joseph, Leo (2015). "Molecular phylogenetics suggests a New Guinean origin and frequent episodes of founder-event speciation in the nectarivorous lories and lorikeets (Aves: Psittaciformes)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 90: 34–48. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.04.021. PMID   25929786.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Gerischer B & Walther B (2003) "Behavioural observations of the blue lorikeet (Vini peruviana) on Rangiroa atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia" Notornis50(1): 54-58 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2007-07-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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