Fig parrot

Last updated

Fig parrot
Psittaculirostris edwardsii.jpg
Edwards's fig parrot
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Subfamily: Loriinae
Tribe: Cyclopsittini
Genera

Cyclopsitta
Psittaculirostris

Synonyms [1]
  • Cyclopsittacini Salvadori, 1891
  • Cyclopsitticini
  • Opopsittini Mathews, 1912

Fig parrots are a small tribe of Australasian parrots named Cyclopsittini in the family Psittaculidae, made up of seven species in two genera ( Cyclopsitta and Psittaculirostris ). Fig parrots are found on and around the island of New Guinea, within the territories of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and tropical Australia. [2]

Contents

Description

Fig parrots are small, stocky, arboreal parrots with short, wedge-shaped tails. They possess proportionately large, broad bills and smooth tongues. Sexual dimorphism is typically pronounced, with the exception of Coxen's fig parrot (Cyclopsitta diopthalma coxeni). Those in the genus Cyclopsitta are generally smaller than those in Psittaculirostris. [2]

Their preferred habitats are the tropical and subtropical rainforests, though they can also be found foraging in the surrounding biomes. They can usually be seen flying swiftly in straight lines, well above the tree canopy. [2]

Their diets consist mainly of fruit, particularly their namesake figs. They may supplement these with a variety of other fruits and berries, along with nectar, pollen, insects, and larvae. Fig parrots appear to be capable of detecting the fig syconia that have been implanted with growing fig wasps, and targeting these for their extra nutritional content. They remember particular fruit trees, and return to them repeatedly over months and years. [2]

Taxonomy

The fig parrot group was first proposed in 1891 at family rank, as Cyclopsittacidae, from the type genus Cyclopsitta. [1] This was later downgraded to tribe status and included into the family Psittaculidae.

Molecular phylogenetic studies support a grouping of fig parrots (Cyclopsittini) with the closely related budgerigars (Melopsittacini) and the lories and lorikeets (Loriini) as the subfamily Loriinae. [3] [4] Relationships between the tribes and within the Cyclopsitta and Psittaculirostris remain to be studied in detail.

Tribe Cyclopsittini

ImageGenusLiving Species
Cyclopsitta diophthalma -Birdworld Kuranda, Queensland, Australia -male-8a.jpg Cyclopsitta
Psittaculirostris edwardsii.jpg Psittaculirostris L. Reichenbach, 1850

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psittacidae</span> Family of birds

The family Psittacidae or holotropical parrots is one of three families of true parrots. It comprises the 12 species of subfamily Psittacinae and 167 of subfamily Arinae including several species that have gone extinct in recent centuries. Some of the most iconic birds in the world are represented here, such as the blue-and-yellow macaw among the New World parrots and the grey parrot among the Afrotropical parrots.

<i>Nestor</i> (genus) Genus of birds

The genus Nestor is one of the two extant genera of the parrot family Strigopidae. Together with the kākāpō, and the extinct parrots in the genus Nelepsittacus, they form the parrot superfamily Strigopoidea. The Nestor's genus contains two extant parrot species from New Zealand and two extinct species from Norfolk Island, Australia and Chatham Island, New Zealand, respectively. All species are large stocky birds with short squarish tails. A defining characteristic of the genus is the tongue, which is tipped with a hair-like fringe. The superficial resemblance of this tongue to that of lorikeets has led some taxonomists to consider the two groups closely related, but DNA evidence shows they are not.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True parrot</span> Superfamily of birds

The true parrots are about 350 species of hook-billed, mostly herbivorous birds forming the superfamily Psittacoidea, one of the three superfamilies in the biological order Psittaciformes (parrots). True parrots are widespread, with species in Mexico, Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and eastwards across the Pacific Ocean as far as Polynesia. The true parrots include many of the familiar parrots including macaws, conures, lorikeets, eclectus, Amazon parrots, grey parrot, and budgerigar. Most true parrots are colourful and flighted, with a few notable exceptions.

<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">Platycercinae</span> Subfamily of birds

Platycercinae is a subfamily of birds belonging to the family Psittaculidae that inhabit Oceania. It consists of two tribes, the ground parrots and allies (Pezoporini) and the many species of broad-tailed parrot (Platycercini).

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

Loriinae is a subfamily of psittacine birds, one of the six 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">Vasa parrot</span> Genus of birds

The vasa parrots that form the genus Coracopsis are four species of parrot in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae that are endemic to Madagascar and other islands in the western Indian Ocean. Some taxonomists formerly placed the species in the genus in Mascarinus, but this is now thought to be based on the results of a heavily flawed, later-debunked genetic study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser vasa parrot</span> Species of bird

The lesser vasa parrot or black parrot is a black coloured parrot endemic to most of Madagascar. It is one of four species of vasa parrots, the others being the greater vasa parrot, the Seychelles black parrot, and the Comoros black parrot. The latter two were formerly considered conspecific with the lesser vasa parrot.

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

Pesquet's parrot, also known as the Dracula parrot or as the vulturine parrot, is a member of the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae. It is the only member of the genus Psittrichas. It is endemic to hill and montane rainforests in New Guinea.

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

The neotropical parrots or New World parrots comprise about 150 species in 32 genera found throughout South and Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean islands and the southern United States. Among them are some of the most familiar and iconic parrots, including the blue and gold macaw, sun conure, and yellow-headed amazon.

<i>Polytelis</i> Genus of birds

The genus Polytelis of the family Psittaculidae consists of three species long-tailed parrot endemic to Australia. Traditionally, it was included in the Australian broad-tailed parrots, but molecular studies place the genus within the Polytelini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue-fronted fig parrot</span> Species of bird

The blue-fronted fig parrot is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Salawati and the Bird's Head Peninsula in New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large fig parrot</span> Species of bird

The large fig parrot, also known as flame-headed fig parrot and Desmarest's fig parrot, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in the West Papuan Islands, Indonesia and in southern and western New Guinea.

<i>Psittaculirostris</i> Genus of birds

Psittaculirostris is a genus of parrots in the family Psittaculidae found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwards's fig parrot</span> Species of bird

Edwards's fig parrot, also known as the scarlet-cheeked fig parrot, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae found in humid lowland forests in north-eastern New Guinea. The adult male is predominantly green with red breast and cheeks, yellow ear coverts, and yellowish crown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parrot</span> Order of birds

Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines, are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genera, found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The four families are the Psittaculidae, Psittacidae, Cacatuoidea (cockatoos), and Strigopidae. One-third of all parrot species are threatened by extinction, with a higher aggregate extinction risk than any other comparable bird group. Parrots have a generally pantropical distribution with several species inhabiting temperate regions as well. The greatest diversity of parrots is in South America and Australasia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psittrichasiidae</span> Family of birds

Psittrichasiidae is a family of birds belonging to the superfamily of the true parrots (Psittacoidea). It is a very small family, the smallest of the three families of the true parrots. It is divided into two subfamilies: Psittrichasinae and Coracopsinae, that contain a single genus each. The first contains a single species, native to New Guinea, and the second contains four living species distributed throughout Madagascar and other islands of the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psittaculidae</span> Family of birds

Psittaculidae is a family of parrots, commonly known as Old World parrots, though this term is a misnomer, as not all its members occur in the Old World and some psittacids also occur in the Old World. It consists of six subfamilies: Psittrichasinae, Agapornithinae, Loriinae, Platycercinae, Psittacellinae and Psittaculinae.

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

Agapornithinae is a subfamily of psittacine birds, one of the five subfamilies that make up the family Psittaculidae. Its members are small, short-tailed parrots that inhabit Africa and Asia. They usually have predominantly green plumage and present different colorations on the head.

References

  1. 1 2 Joseph, Leo; Toon, Alicia; Schirtzinger, Erin E.; Wright, Timothy F.; Schodde, Richard (2012-02-24). "A revised nomenclature and classification for family-group taxa of parrots (Psittaciformes)". Zootaxa. 3205 (1): 26–40. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3205.1.2. ISSN   1175-5334.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Forshaw, Joseph Michael (2017). Vanished and vanishing parrots : profiling extinct and endangered species. Illustrated by Frank Knight. Collingwood: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 136–140. ISBN   978-0-643-10649-9. OCLC   1007061081.
  3. Rus, A. Villa; Cigudosa, J.; Juan, J. Carrasco; Gomez, A. Otero; Almeida, T. Acosta; Joshua, S.; Miranda, J. Garcia (2016-09-06). "Chromosomal Evolution in Psittaciformes. Revisited". International Journal of Biology. 8 (4): 34–65. doi: 10.5539/ijb.v8n4p34 . ISSN   1916-9671.
  4. Provost, Kaiya L.; Joseph, Leo; Smith, Brian Tilston (2018-01-02). "Resolving a phylogenetic hypothesis for parrots: implications from systematics to conservation". Emu - Austral Ornithology. 118 (1): 7–21. doi:10.1080/01584197.2017.1387030. ISSN   0158-4197. S2CID   52995298.