Norfolk parakeet

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Norfolk parakeet
Norfolkparanbg.jpg
On Norfolk Island, Australia
CITES Appendix I (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Genus: Cyanoramphus
Species:
C. cookii
Binomial name
Cyanoramphus cookii
(Gray, 1859)
Synonyms [3]
  • Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae(Sparrman, 1787)
  • Platycercus Cookii(Gray, GR, 1859)
  • Cyanoramphus saisseti Verreaux & Des Murs, 1860

The Norfolk parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii), also called Tasman parakeet, [4] Norfolk Island green parrot or Norfolk Island red-crowned parakeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Norfolk Island (located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia in the Tasman Sea).

Contents

Taxonomy

George Robert Gray described the Norfolk parakeet in 1859 as Platycercus Cookii, from a specimen in William Bullock's museum, and recorded it as from New Zealand. [5] The species name honours James Cook, who reported the species on Norfolk Island when he landed there in 1774, noting it was the same as those occurring in New Zealand. [6] In 1862, Gray described a specimen from Norfolk Island as Platycercus rayneri, collected by a Mr Rayner. [7] In 1891, Italian ornithologist Tommaso Salvadori confirmed the two taxa as synonymous and coming from Norfolk Island. [8]

It was long considered a subspecies of the red-crowned parakeet of New Zealand. Ornithologists Alfred North (1893) and Graeme Phipps (1981) noted that the Norfolk parakeet was significantly larger than the red-fronted parakeet. Phipps added that further investigation was needed into their status and conservation. [9] DNA analysis in 2001 showed that it was an early offshoot from the other parakeets in the genus Cyanoramphus, with only the New Caledonian and Chatham parakeet more divergent. [10]

"Norfolk parakeet" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). [11] It is also known as Norfolk Island green parrot, [12] and locally as green parrot. [13] The name "Tasman parakeet" is used by ornithologists Les Christidis and Walter Boles on the argument that this species and the Lord Howe red-crowned parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae subflavescens) are probably a single species for which they use biogeographical arguments. [4] Tasman is used for other species with the same distribution and they propose that name for that reason. However, the latter subspecies was not included in the genus-wide phylogenetic reconstruction using DNA sequences, and the lumping of the species should be considered tentative.

Distribution and habitat

Originally found throughout Norfolk Island (to which it is endemic), it vanished from much of its range until by 1908 it was restricted to forest around Mount Pitt in the northwestern corner of the Island. Its natural habitats are native rainforest, from which it ventures into surrounding plantations and orchards. [14]

Diet

Seeds make up over half the Norfolk parakeet's diet, particularly in winter. Five species make up 85% of its diet, including the Norfolk pine ( Araucaria heterophylla ), niau palm ( Rhopalostylis baueri ), ake ake ( Dodonaea viscosa ), as well as the introduced African olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata) and cherry guava ( Psidium cattleyanum ). [15]

Threats

Norfolk parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii), 2011 Norfolk Island National Park Norfolk Parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii).jpg
Norfolk parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii), 2011 Norfolk Island National Park

Once a common species, the Norfolk parakeet had dwindled to under 50 birds by the late 1970s. Factors contributing to its decline include habitat loss, particularly of large old trees with suitable hollows for breeding, killing of eggs and young by rats and cats, shooting by early settlers, and competition for nest sites by introduced crimson rosellas and common starlings. In 1983 a captive breeding program was commenced. Although it was not successful, it sparked interest in the bird's fate in the people of Norfolk Island. [12]

Between 1987 and 2000, a concerted effort to reduce rat and cat populations by trapping, and construction of nesting boxes designed to keep out rats increased parrot numbers, with around 250 young fledged. However, numbers of Norfolk parakeets were difficult to assess and concern was raised between 2009 and 2012 that it might be declining again. A census in 2009 estimated a count of 240 birds. [12]

It is only found in Norfolk Island National Park and the surrounding area.

Related Research Articles

<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">Broad-tailed parrot</span> Tribe of birds

A broad-tailed parrot is any of about 35–40 species belonging to the tribe Platycercini. The members of the tribe are small to medium in size, and all are native to Australasia, Australia in particular, but also New Zealand, New Caledonia, and nearby islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kākāriki</span> Common name for three species of parakeets

The three species of kākāriki, or New Zealand parakeets, are the most common species of parakeets in the genus Cyanoramphus, family Psittaculidae. The birds' Māori name, which is the most commonly used, means "small parrot". The etymology is: from kākā, parrot + riki, small. The word is also used to refer to the colour green because of the birds' predominantly green plumage. The patches of red on the birds' rumps are, according to legend, the blood of the demigod Tāwhaki.

<i>Cyanoramphus</i> Genus of birds

Cyanoramphus is a genus of parakeets native to New Zealand and islands of the southern Pacific Ocean. The New Zealand species are often called kākāriki. They are small to medium-sized parakeets with long tails and predominantly green plumage. Most species are forest dwellers, although several of the subantarctic species live in open grassland. The genus formerly had a widely disjunct distribution: while most of the genus ranged from New Caledonia to Macquarie Island, two species were found in the Society Islands, 4,100 km (2,500 mi) away from the rest. Although the islands between these two areas have yielded many bird fossils, undescribed extinct Cyanoramphus have not yet been found on any of them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crimson rosella</span> Species of bird

The crimson rosella is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The species as it now stands has subsumed two former separate species, the yellow rosella and the Adelaide rosella. Molecular studies show one of the three red-coloured races, P. e. nigrescens, is genetically more distinct.

<i>Cyanoramphus malherbi</i> Species of New Zealand bird

Malherbe's parakeet is a small parrot endemic to New Zealand, where it is known as the orange-fronted parakeet or orange-fronted kākāriki. In the rest of the world it is called Malherbe's parakeet, as when it was recognised as a species, the name "orange-fronted parakeet" was already used for Eupsittula canicularis, a Central American species. Restricted to a few valleys in the South Island and four offshore islands, its population declined to around 200 in the 1990s, and it is considered critically endangered by the IUCN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosella</span> Genus of birds

Rosellas are in a genus that consists of six species and nineteen subspecies. These colourful parrots from Australia are in the genus Platycercus. Platycercus means "broad-tailed" or "flat-tailed", reflecting a feature common to the rosellas and other members of the broad-tailed parrot tribe. Their diet is mainly seeds and fruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red-capped parrot</span> Species of bird endemic to Western Australia

The red-capped parrot is a species of broad-tailed parrot native to southwestern Australia. It was described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820, with no subspecies recognised. It has long been classified in its own genus owing to its distinctive elongated beak, though genetic analysis shows that it lies within the lineage of the Psephotellus parrots and that its closest relative is the mulga parrot. Not easily confused with other parrot species, it has a bright crimson crown, green-yellow cheeks, and a distinctive long bill. The wings, back, and long tail are dark green, and the underparts are purple-blue. The adult female is very similar though sometimes slightly duller than the male; her key distinguishing feature is a white stripe on the wing under-surface. Juveniles are predominantly green.

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

The Antipodes parakeet or Antipodes Island parakeet is a parrot in the family Psittaculidae that is endemic to the Antipodes Islands of New Zealand. It is one of two parrot species found on the islands, and one of only five ground-dwelling parrots in the world. They are long-living birds that may live up to 10 years of age, but the introduction of mice that compete with them for food was a threat to their survival on the Antipodes Islands until the mice were successfully eradicated from the Islands in 2016. Unusually for parrots, they sometimes prey upon other birds, a trait shared by another New Zealand parrot, the kea.

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

The Norfolk kākā is an extinct species of large parrot, belonging to the parrot family Nestoridae. The birds were about 38 cm long, with mostly olive-brown upperparts, reddish-orange cheeks and throat, straw-coloured breast, thighs, rump and lower abdomen dark orange and a prominent beak. It inhabited the rocks and treetops of Norfolk Island and adjacent Phillip Island. It was a relative of the New Zealand kākā.

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

The red-crowned parakeet, also known as red-fronted parakeet and by its Māori name of kākāriki, is a small parrot from New Zealand. It is characterised by its bright green plumage and the red pattern on its head. This versatile bird can feed on a variety food items and can be found in many habitat types. It used to be classified as near threatened as invasive predators had pushed it out of its historical range but it is now at least concern. This species used to occupy the entire island, but is now confined to only a few areas on the mainland and some offshore islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raiatea parakeet</span> Extinct bird of the Society Islands

The Raiatea parakeet or Society parakeet, also known as the Society kakariki or brown-headed parakeet, is an extinct parakeet of the genus Cyanoramphus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western rosella</span> Species of bird

The western rosella, or moyadong, is a species of parrot endemic to southwestern Australia. The head and underparts are bright red, and the back is mottled black; a yellow patch at the cheek distinguishes it from others of the genus Platycercus. Adults of the species exhibit sexual dimorphism with the females duller overall; juveniles lack the striking colours of mature birds and the characteristic patterning is not as easily distinguished. Their communication call is a softly delivered pink-pink sound, and much of their behaviour is comparatively unobtrusive. Their habitat is in eucalypt forests and woodlands, where they often remain unobserved until they appear to feed on seeds at nearby cleared areas.

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

The turquoise parrot is a species of parrot in the genus Neophema native to Eastern Australia, from southeastern Queensland, through New South Wales and into North-Eastern Victoria. It was described by George Shaw in 1792. A small lightly built parrot at around 20 cm (7.9 in) long and 40 g in weight, it exhibits sexual dimorphism. The male is predominantly green with more yellowish underparts and a bright turquoise blue face. Its wings are predominantly blue with red shoulders. The female is generally duller and paler, with a pale green breast and yellow belly, and lacks the red wing patch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern rosella</span> Parrot native to northern Australia

The northern rosella, formerly known as Brown's rosella or the smutty rosella, is a species of parrot native to northern Australia, ranging from the Gulf of Carpentaria and Arnhem Land to the Kimberley. It was described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820, and two subspecies are recognised. The species is unusually coloured for a rosella, with a dark head and neck with pale cheeks—predominantly white in the subspecies from the Northern Territory and blue in the Western Australian subspecies hillii. The northern rosella's mantle and scapulars are black with fine yellow scallops, while its back, rump and underparts are pale yellow with fine black scallops. The long tail is blue-green, and the wings are black and blue-violet. The sexes have similar plumage, while females and younger birds are generally duller with occasional spots of red.

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

The Chatham parakeet, also known as Forbes' parakeet, is a rare parakeet endemic to the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand. This parakeet is one of New Zealand's rarest birds and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as a result of a range of threats to the species survival, including habitat loss, predation, and hybridization. A number of conservation methods have been employed to assist the recovery of this species, and currently the population trend is considered stable.

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

Reischek's parakeet is a small green parrot confined to 21 km2 (8.1 sq mi) Antipodes Island, one of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands, which it shares with a congener, the larger Antipodes parakeet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord Howe parakeet</span> Extinct species of bird

The Lord Howe parakeet, also known as the Lord Howe red-fronted parakeet, is an extinct parrot endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia. It was described as full species by Tommaso Salvadori in 1891, but subsequently it has been regarded as subspecies of the red-crowned parakeet. In 2012, the IOC World Bird List recognised it as species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kermadec red-crowned parakeet</span> Subspecies of bird

The Kermadec red-crowned parakeet, also known as the Kermadec red-fronted parakeet or Kermadec parakeet, is a parrot endemic to New Zealand's Kermadec Islands in the south-west Pacific Ocean. It is a subspecies of the red-fronted parakeet, and sometimes considered a full species. It is also the first documented example of a parrot recolonising an island after the removal of invasive predators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parrots of New Zealand</span>

New Zealand is geographically isolated, and originally lacked any mammalian predators, hence parrots evolved to fill habitats from the ground dwelling kākāpō to the alpine dwelling kea as well as a variety of forest species. The arrival of Māori, then European settlers with their attendant animals, habitat destruction and even deliberate targeting, has resulted in their numbers plummeting. Today one species is on the brink of extinction and three other species range from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered, all impacted by invasive species. Further parrot species were not introduced by acclimatisation societies, but occasional releases, both deliberate and accidental, have resulted in self-sustaining populations of some Australian species. New Zealand was identified among the highest priority countries for parrot conservation in the world, due to its parrot diversity, endemism, threats, and having more threatened parrot species than expected.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Cyanoramphus cookii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  3. Australian Biological Resources Study (20 August 2013). "Species Cyanoramphus cookii (G.R. Gray, 1859)". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  4. 1 2 Christidis, Les; Boles, Walter (2008). Systematics and taxonomy of Australian Birds. Collingwood, Vic: CSIRO Publishing. p. 157. ISBN   978-0-643-06511-6.
  5. Gray, George Robert (1859). "Sect. II: Psittacidae". List of the Specimens of Birds in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. III. London: British Museum. p. 13.
  6. Gray, Jeannie; Fraser, Ian (2013). Australian Bird Names: A Complete Guide. Collingwood, Victoria: Csiro Publishing. p. 142. ISBN   978-0-643-10471-6.
  7. Gray, George Robert (1862). "A list of the birds of New Zealand and the adjacent islands". Ibis. 4 (15): 214–52 [228]. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1862.tb07491.x.
  8. Salvadori, Tommaso (1891). Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Catalogue of the Psittaci, or Parrots. London: British Museum. pp. 584–85.
  9. Phipps, Graeme (1981). "The Kakarikis". Australian Aviculture: 126–39.
  10. Boon, W. M.; Kearvell, J. C.; Daugherty, C. H.; Chambers, G. K. (2000). "Molecular systematics of New Zealand Cyanoramphus parakeets: conservation of Orange-fronted and Forbes' Parakeets". Bird Conservation International. 10 (3): 211–239. doi: 10.1017/s0959270900000198 .
  11. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2021). "Parrots & cockatoos". World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  12. 1 2 3 Ortiz-Catedral, Luis; Nias, Raymond; Fitzsimons, James; Vine, Samantha; Christian, Margaret (2018). "Back from the brink–again: the decline and recovery of the Norfolk Island green parrot". In Stephen Garnett; John Woinarski; David Lindenmayer; Peter Latch (eds.). Recovering Australian Threatened Species: A Book of Hope. Csiro Publishing. pp. 105–14. ISBN   978-1-486-30742-5.
  13. Williams, Robyn (3 April 2021). "Green parrots make a comeback on Norfolk Island". The Science Show. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  14. Higgins, P.J. (1999). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird. Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press. p. 477. ISBN   0-19-553071-3.
  15. Waldmann, Amy (2016). Foraging ecology of the world's only population of the critically endangered Tasman parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii), on Norfolk Island (MSc). Auckland, New Zealand: Massey University.