Lilac-tailed parrotlet

Last updated

Lilac-tailed parrotlet
Lilac-tailed Parrotlet.JPG
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
Genus: Touit
Species:
T. batavicus
Binomial name
Touit batavicus
(Boddaert, 1783)
Touit batavicus map.svg

The lilac-tailed parrotlet (Touit batavicus) is a species of bird in subfamily Arinae of the family Psittacidae, the African and New World parrots. [2] It is found in Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

The lilac-tailed parrotlet was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux. [4] The bird was also illustrated in a hand-colored plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. [5] Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Psittaca batavica in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. [6] Buffon believed that his specimen had come from Batavia (modern Jakarta) but the German ornithologist Hans von Berlepsch realised this was an error and in 1908 substituted Venezuela as the type locality. [7] The lilac-tailed parrotlet is now placed in the genus Touit that was introduced by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1855. [8] [2] The genus name is derived from the extinct Tupi language that was spoken by native people in Brazil: Tuí eté means "really little parrot". [9]

The lilac-tailed parrotlet is monotypic. [2]

Description

The violet-tailed parrotlet is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs 52 to 72 g (1.8 to 2.5 oz). Its head is mostly yellow with green ear coverts. The sides of its neck are green and its nape has a dusky scaled appearance. Its back and wings are black and its greater wing coverts are yellowish green with green-blue edges and a red carpal bar. Its tail is purplish rose with a black band near the end. Its throat is green, its breast pale blue, its belly green, and its underwing coverts blue. [10]

Distribution and habitat

The violet-tailed parrotlet is found discontinuously across northern South America. The regions include Colombia's Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, two coastal areas in Venezuela, the island of Trinidad, and a broad swath from eastern Venezuela through Guyana and Suriname and across much of French Guiana. In most of its range it inhabits lowland deciduous forest but in Colombia and the Venezuelan Coastal Range it occurs in cloudforest between 700 and 1,700 m (2,300 and 5,600 ft). It uses both pristine and disturbed primary and secondary forest. [10]

Behavior

Movement

The violet-tailed parrotlet is non-migratory but appears to be somewhat nomadic. [10]

Feeding

The violet-tailed parrotlet does most of its foraging in the morning. Its diet includes flowers, nectar, buds, berries, seeds, and fruits. [10]

Breeding

The violet-tailed parrotlet's breeding season has not been determined. Fledglings have been noter in December in Suriname and between January and March on Trinidad. The species nests in a cavity such as a hollow limb or one it excavates in an arboreal termite nest. The clutch size is five or six eggs. The incubation period, time to fledging, and details of parental care are not known. [10]

Vocalization

The violet-tailed parrotlet's most common calls are "a slightly nasal “ryee” or “nee-ryee”." Large flocks in flight make "a continuous, monotonous, noisy chattering." It also makes "a very nasal “naaee” or “rrhaaee”" when perched. [10]

Status

The IUCN has assessed the violet-tailed parrotlet as being of Least Concern. It has a fairly large range, but its population size is not known and is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. [1] Sources differ on how much it is used in the pet trade. It occurs in one national park in Venezuela. [10]

Related Research Articles

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

The red-billed blue magpie is a species of bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie, but has a much longer tail, one of the longest of any corvid. It is 65–68 cm (25.5–27 in) long and weighs 196–232 g (6.9–8.2 oz).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diederik cuckoo</span> Species of bird

The diederik cuckoo, formerly dideric cuckoo or didric cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners and the anis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tufted coquette</span> Species of bird

The tufted coquette is a tiny hummingbird that breeds in eastern Venezuela, Trinidad, Guiana, and northern Brazil. It is an uncommon but widespread species, and appears to be a local or seasonal migrant, although its movements are not well understood.

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

The red-bellied macaw, also known as Guacamaya Manilata, is a medium-sized, mostly green parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are commonly called "mini-macaws". The belly has a large maroon patch which gives the species its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pied water tyrant</span> Species of bird

The pied water tyrant is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family. It breeds in tropical South America from Panama and Trinidad south to Bolivia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern mealy amazon</span> Species of bird

The southern mealy amazon or southern mealy parrot is among the largest parrots in the genus Amazona, the amazon parrots. It is a mainly green parrot with a total length of 38–41 cm (15–16 in). It is native to tropical Central and South America. This species and the northern mealy amazon were previously considered conspecific. Some taxonomic authorities, continue to lump them together.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long-tailed parakeet</span> Species of bird

The long-tailed parakeet or Burung Bayan Nuri in Malay is a parakeet endemic to the regions of Andaman and Nicobar islands, Sumatra, Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. It is allopatric with the congener, the Red-breasted parakeet, Psittacula alexandri, except in the Andaman islands where they occur together.

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

The great-billed parrot also known as Moluccan parrot or island parrot, is a medium-sized, approximately 38 cm long, green parrot with a massive red bill, cream iris, blackish shoulders, olive green back, pale blue rump and yellowish green underparts. The female is typically smaller than the male, but otherwise the sexes are similar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant snipe</span> Species of bird

The giant snipe is a stocky wader. It breeds in South America. The nominate subspecies G. u. undulata occurs in two distinct areas, one in Colombia, and the other from Venezuela through Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana to extreme north-eastern Brazil. The southern subspecies G. u. gigantea is found in eastern Bolivia, eastern Paraguay and south-east Brazil, and probably also in Uruguay and north-eastern Argentina.

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

The violet-necked lory is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found in the northern Maluku Islands and west Papuan islands. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and tropical mangrove forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amazonian barred woodcreeper</span> Species of bird

The Amazonian barred woodcreeper is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily, the woodcreepers. The northern barred woodcreeper was formerly included in this species. The Amazonian barred woodcreeper still includes the subspecies concolor, which sometimes is considered a separate species, the concolor woodcreeper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Variegated antpitta</span> Species of bird

The variegated antpitta is a species of bird in the family Grallariidae. It is found in southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, the Guianas and the northern Amazon Basin. Its range extends to Venezuela in the northwest; in the Amazon Basin, it is found in the downstream half of the basin, as well as in the Atlantic outlet region of the neighboring Tocantins-Araguaia River drainage to the southeast. A minor disjunct population is in Peru, and an Argentinian population is found in the tongue of land between Paraguay and southern Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rufous-throated antbird</span> Species of bird

The rufous-throated antbird is a species of bird in the family Thamnophilidae. It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulvous shrike-tanager</span> Species of bird

The fulvous shrike-tanager is a South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helmeted pygmy tyrant</span> Species of bird

The helmeted pygmy tyrant is a species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wing-banded wren</span> Species of bird

The wing-banded wren is a species of bird in the family Troglodytidae. It is found in Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wing-banded antbird</span> Species of bird

The wing-banded antbird is a species of passerine bird in the antbird family, Thamnophilidae. It is placed in the monotypic genus Myrmornis. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hooded tanager</span> Species of bird

The hooded tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and heavily degraded former forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinereous becard</span> Species of bird

The cinereous becard is a species of bird in the family Tityridae. The term cinereous describes its colouration. It has traditionally been placed in Cotingidae or Tyrannidae, but evidence strongly suggest it is better placed in Tityridae, where it is now placed by the South American Classification Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellow-tufted woodpecker</span> Species of bird

The yellow-tufted woodpecker is a species of woodpecker. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forest.

References

  1. 1 2 BirdLife International (2016). "Lilac-tailed Parrotlet Touit batavicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22686006A93096172. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22686006A93096172.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Gill, F.; Donsker, D.; Rasmussen, P., eds. (January 2023). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List. v 13.1. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  3. Remsen, J. V., Jr., J. I. Areta, E. Bonaccorso, S. Claramunt, A. Jaramillo, D. F. Lane, J. F. Pacheco, M. B. Robbins, F. G. Stiles, and K. J. Zimmer. 30 January 2023. Species Lists of Birds for South American Countries and Territories. https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCCountryLists.htm retrieved January 30, 2023
  4. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de (1780). "La perruche aux ailes variées". Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux (in French). Vol. 11. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. pp. 241–242.
  5. Buffon, Georges-Louis Leclerc de; Martinet, François-Nicolas; Daubenton, Edme-Louis; Daubenton, Louis-Jean-Marie (1765–1783). "Petite perruche, de Batavia". Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle. Vol. 8. Paris: De L'Imprimerie Royale. Plate 791 Fig. 1.
  6. Boddaert, Pieter (1783). Table des planches enluminéez d'histoire naturelle de M. D'Aubenton : avec les denominations de M.M. de Buffon, Brisson, Edwards, Linnaeus et Latham, precedé d'une notice des principaux ouvrages zoologiques enluminés (in French). Utrecht. p. 49, Number 791 Fig. 1.
  7. von Berlepsch, Hans Graf (1908). "On the birds of Cayenne (Part II)". Novitates Zoologicae. 15: 261–324 [287].
  8. Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds Contained in the British Museum. London: British Museum. p. 89.
  9. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p.  388. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Collar, N. and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Lilac-tailed Parrotlet (Touit batavicus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.litpar2.01 retrieved February 18, 2023