Orange-billed lorikeet

Orange-billed lorikeet
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittaculidae
Genus:	Neopsittacus
Species:	N. pullicauda
Binomial name
Neopsittacus pullicauda Hartert, 1896
Synonyms [2]
Neopsittacus muschenbrocki alpinus Ogilvie-Grant, 1914 Neopsittacus pullicauda socialis Mayr, 1931

The orange-billed lorikeet (Neopsittacus pullicauda) is a species in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae. First described by the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert in 1896, it is endemic to New Guinea, where it mainly inhabits cloud forest, forest edges, and cleared areas bordering forests at elevations of 2,100–3,800 m (6,900–12,500 ft). Adults are 18 cm (7.1 in) long on average and weigh 25–40 g (0.88–1.41 oz), and are mainly green in color, with a red underside and narrow yellow streaking on the cheeks. It looks similar to the closely related yellow-billed lorikeet, but is smaller in size, has more richly coloured plumage, and has a smaller, orange bill.

The species feeds on pollen, nectar, flowers, fruits, and, uncommonly, seeds. They sometimes forage together with yellow-billed lorikeets at fruiting trees, but are rarely found with species of other genera. Breeding takes place in October; nests are made in holes in tall trees and contain two eggs. It is listed as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and lack of severe declines in its population.

Taxonomy and systematics

The orange-billed lorikeet was formally described as a species by the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert in 1896 based on specimens from the "Victoria district" in the Owen Stanley Range in New Guinea. ^[3] The generic name Neopsittacus is from the Greek νεος (neos), meaning new, and ψιττακος (psittakos), meaning parrot. The specific epithet pullicauda is from the Latin pullus, meaning dark-colored, and cauda, meaning tail. ^[4] Alternative common names for the species include emerald lorikeet, alpine lorikeet and orange-billed mountain lorikeet. ^{[2] [5]}

The species shows clinal variation (gradual variation in its appearance along its range), with birds from western populations being smaller and paler than birds from southeastern ones. ^[2] It is treated as having one subspecies by the International Ornithologists' Union; ^[6] however, some authorities recognize as many as three subspecies on the basis of differences in appearance, with populations from central western New Guinea separated as N. p. alpinus ^{[lower-alpha 1]} and populations from northeastern New Guinea separated as N. p. socialis. ^{[lower-alpha 2] [7]}

The orange-billed lorikeet is one of two species in the genus Neopsittacus . It and the yellow-billed lorikeet are basal within a clade (group of organisms descending from a common ancestor) formed by Neopsittacus, Lorius , Psitteuteles , Parvipsitta , Pseudeos , Chalcopsitta , Glossoptilus , Glossopsitta , Saudareos , Eos , and Trichoglossus . ^{[8] [9]}

Loriini Plum-faced lorikeet Pygmy lorikeet Hypocharmosyna – 2 species Charmosynopsis – 2 species Striated lorikeet Charmosyna – 3 species Duchess lorikeet Vini – 11 species Yellow-billed lorikeet Orange-billed lorikeet Lorius – 6 species Varied lorikeet Parvipsitta – 2 species Pseudeos – 2 species Chalcopsitta – 3 species Goldie's lorikeet Musk lorikeet Saudareos – 5 species Eos – 6 species Trichoglossus – 10 species

Relationships of Neopsittacus to related genera based on a genetic study published in 2023. [10]

Description

The orange-billed lorikeet is a small species of lorikeet, with a length of around 18 cm (7.1 in) and a weight of 25–40 g (0.88–1.41 oz). ^[7] Adults are mainly dark emerald green, with red underparts and narrow yellow streaking on the cheeks. ^{[7] [11]} The flanks and wings are also emerald green; the underside of the tail is a duller green, with a red patch at the base. The underwing is bright red and is especially prominent in flight. ^[11] The iris and beak are orange, with a yellow tip to the latter, and the feet are dark grey. ^[5] Immatures are duller in color, with less red on their underparts and an orangish-brown bill. ^[7] Fledglings have yellow beaks, which turn orange at around 6 months of age. ^[12]

Other than the yellow-billed lorikeet, no other parrot in the species' range has a similar coloration. ^[11] Compared with the yellow-billed lorikeet, it is smaller in size, has more richly coloured plumage, and has a smaller, orange bill. ^[5] Additionally, it can also be distinguished by its flanks and wings being the same shade of green, the underside of the tail being dull green with red at the base, and the lack of an olive tint to the top of its head. ^[11]

Vocalisations

The species is very vocal and gives a variety of calls, including a high upslurred "tseet" and other, longer high-pitched calls. ^[7] Although these calls are similar to those of the yellow-billed lorikeet, they tend to be softer, more high-pitched, and more musical. ^[11]

Distribution and habitat

The orange-billed lorikeet is endemic to the island of New Guinea. It inhabits forest canopy, forest edges, and cleared areas bordering forests at high elevations in mountains in the Central Range and the Huon Peninsula, but is absent from the Bird's Head Peninsula. It prefers cloud forest at elevations of 2,100–3,800 m (6,900–12,500 ft), but has been recorded at elevations as low as 800 m (2,600 ft). ^{[2] [7]} Vagrancy at lower elevations suggests that the species may sporadically migrate altitudinally; ^[7] Neopsittacus is one of only five genera in the order Psittaciformes to evolve to be nomadic. ^[13] At lower elevations, it often inhabits the same areas as the yellow-billed lorikeet. ^[2]

Behaviour and ecology

Orange-billed lorikeets are typically found in small flocks. ^[11] They feed on pollen, nectar, flowers, fruits, and, uncommonly, seeds. Plants it is known to feed upon include the seed cones of Papuacedrus papuana and the berries of Sericolea pullei . It is more nectarivorous than the yellow-billed lorikeet. ^[7] They sometimes forage together with yellow-billed lorikeets at fruiting trees, but are rarely found with other species. ^[11] Its breeding season is in October. It nests in hollows in tall trees, where it lays clutches of 2 eggs. ^[7] The orange-billed lorikeet is parasitised by a variety of insects, including the rhinonyssid mites Mesonyssus alisteri and Tinaminyssustrichoglossi, ^{[14] [15]} the philopterid chewing louse Psittaconirmus zinki , ^[16] and the menoponid chewing louse Eomenopon semilunare . ^[17]

Status

The species is listed as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and lack of severe declines in its population. ^[1] It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. It is common throughout most of its range and is not particularly threatened by habitat loss or the wildlife trade. ^[7]

Notes

1. Said to have an orange breast, compared to the nominate subspecies's red one, and a darker red belly. ^[7]
2. Said to be darker overall than the nominate subspecies. ^[7]

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Neopsittacus pullicauda". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22684720A93043490. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22684720A93043490.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
2. Beehler, Bruce; Pratt, Thane (2016). Birds of New Guinea: Distribution, Taxonomy, and Systematics. Princeton University Press. p. 250. ISBN   978-0-691-16424-3.
3. Hartert, Ernst (1896). "List of three small collections from British New Guinea, mostly brought together in the Owen Stanley Range". Novitates Zoologicae . 3: 8–19 [17].
4. Jobling, James A. (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Christopher Helm. pp. 268, 324. ISBN   978-1-4081-3326-2.
5. Ripley, Sydney Dillon (1964). A Systematic and Ecological Study of Birds of New Guinea. 19. New Haven, Connecticut: Peabody Museum of Natural History. pp. 32–33.
6. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2023-07-15). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
7. Collar, Nigel; Boesman, Peter F. D. (2020-03-04), Billerman, Shawn M.; Keeney, Brooke K.; Rodewald, Paul G.; Schulenberg, Thomas S. (eds.), "Orange-billed Lorikeet (Neopsittacus pullicauda)" , Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, doi:10.2173/bow.orblor1.01, S2CID   241483025 , retrieved 2023-09-07
8. Joseph, Leo; Merwin, Jon; Smith, Brian Tilston (2020-07-02). "Improved systematics of lorikeets reflects their evolutionary history and frames conservation priorities". Emu. 120 (3): 201–215. Bibcode:2020EmuAO.120..201J. doi:10.1080/01584197.2020.1779596. S2CID   222094508.
9. Smith, Brian Tilston; Mauck, William M; Benz, Brett W; Andersen, Michael J (2020-07-01). Holland, Barbara (ed.). "Uneven missing data skew phylogenomic relationships within the lories and lorikeets". Genome Biology and Evolution. 12 (7): 1131–1147. doi:10.1093/gbe/evaa113. PMC   7486955 . PMID   32470111.
10. Smith, B.T.; Merwin, J.; Provost, K.L.; Thom, G.; Brumfield, R.T.; Ferreira, M.; Mauck, W.M.I.; Moyle, R.G.; Wright, T.F.; Joseph, L. (2023). "Phylogenomic analysis of the parrots of the world distinguishes artifactual from biological sources of gene tree discordance". Systematic Biology. 72 (1): 228–241. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syac055 . PMID   35916751.
11. Pratt, Thane K.; Beehler, Bruce M. (2015). Birds of New Guinea (2nd ed.). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. pp. 354–355. ISBN   9780691095622.
12. Bell, H. L. (January 1984). "New or confirmatory information on some species of New Guinean birds". Australian Bird Watcher . 10 (7): 219–220.
13. Mettke-Hofmann, Claudia; Wink, Michael; Winkler, Hans; Leisler, Bernd (2005-01-01). "Exploration of environmental changes relates to lifestyle". Behavioral Ecology. 16 (1): 247–254. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arh159 . Considering residency as the ancestral state for the Order Psittaciformes, nomadism seems to have evolved three times independently in the clades Charmosyna, Psephotus/Northiella, and Neopsittacus/Trichoglossus...
14. Wilson, Nixon (1968). "New records and a new species of Mesonyssus (Mesostigmata: Rhinonyssidae) from parrots (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae)". The Journal of Parasitology. 54 (2): 397. doi:10.2307/3276960. JSTOR   3276960 – via JSTOR.
15. Wilson, Nixon (1964). "New records and description of Rhinonyssidae, mostly from New Guinea (Acarina: Mesostigmata)" (PDF). Pacific Insects. 6 (2): 374–375.
16. Price, Roger D.; Clayton, Dale H. (1983). "A review of the genus Psittaconirmus (Mallophaga: Philopteridae) from South Pacific parrots (Psittaciformes)" (PDF). International Journal of Entomology. 25 (1): 56–70 [63].
17. Price, Roger D. (1966). "The genus Eomenopon Harrison with descriptions of seven new species (Mallophaga: Menoponidae)" (PDF). Pacific Insects. 8 (1): 17–28 [22].