Red-cheeked parrot | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Male in Papua New Guinea | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Psittaciformes |
Family: | Psittaculidae |
Genus: | Geoffroyus |
Species: | G. geoffroyi |
Binomial name | |
Geoffroyus geoffroyi (Bechstein, 1811) | |
The red-cheeked parrot (Geoffroyus geoffroyi) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the tip of northern Australia. There are 17 subspecies currently recognized. It is a stocky short-tailed parrot with predominantly green plumage. It exhibits sexual dimorphism; the adult male has red cheeks and a mauve nape and top of head, while the female is duller with a brown head.
The red-cheeked parrot was first described by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein, 1811. It is one of three species classified in the genus Geoffroyus . This genus has occasionally been merged into Psittinus. Proposed races sumbavensis and tjindanae are synonyms of floresianus; stresemanni of rhodops; explorator too may be synonymous with rhodops. [2]
Seventeen subspecies of the red-cheeked parrot are now recognized. [2]
Both the male and female red-cheeked parrot have predominantly bright green plumage and a stocky body with a short tail. The adult male has pink-tinged red cheeks and face with a blue-mauve back of head and crown, chestnut wing coverts, blue under wing, and a coral-pink upper mandible. The female has a brown head and more olive-brown cheeks and throat, and all brown-grey bill. Juveniles also have the olive tinge, but their heads are more green. All red-cheeked parrots have yellow eyes. [3] Their beaks are designed for eating seeds and fruit. Their swift and direct flight pattern is distinct and similar to that of a starling. Their call is "metallic". Typical body dimensions are: height 250 mm (9.8 in), length 203 mm (8.0 in), and wing span 135 to 155 mm (5.3–6.1 in). [4]
The red-cheeked parrot is found in Cape York Peninsula, Australia, Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea and several other islands in the region. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. They live along streams and in forests. [1] [4]
Red-cheeked parrots usually live in pairs, and small family groups outside of the breeding season. During the breeding season the birds are usually found in pairs but there is little else known of their courtship behavior in the wild. They are usually quite shy, except while feeding. When feeding they gather in large groups, and they are very noisy and conspicuous. They only walk short distances as their feet are not structured for walking, but for perching. [4] They forage for food and their diet consists of seeds, fruits (mainly figs), blossoms, and nectar. [4] Fruit and seeds of Corymbia papuana , Casuarina papuana and scaly ash ( Ganophyllum falcatum ) are among those recorded as diet items. [3] During the breeding season the female bird excavates its nest in a rotting tree limb. A clutch usually contains three eggs. [4]
The species has a large range. There is an unknown number of individuals, but their numbers are thought to be stable. Their conservation status is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. [1] [5]
Pygmy parrots are the smallest members of the parrot order. The six species of pygmy parrots are all in the genus Micropsitta, which is the only genus in the Micropsittini tribe.
The eclectus parrot is a parrot native to the Solomon Islands, Sumba, New Guinea and nearby islands, northeastern Australia, and the Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is unusual in the parrot family for its extreme sexual dimorphism of the colours of the plumage; the male having a mostly bright emerald green plumage and the female a mostly bright red and purple/blue plumage. Joseph Forshaw, in his book Parrots of the World, noted that the first European ornithologists to see eclectus parrots thought they were of two distinct species. Large populations of this parrot remain, and they are sometimes considered pests for eating fruit off trees. Some populations restricted to relatively small islands are comparably rare. Their bright feathers are also used by native tribespeople in New Guinea as decorations.
The Amboyna cuckoo-dove is a dove in the genus Macropygia found in the Moluccas and New Guinea. It was one of three new species defined when the slender-billed cuckoo-dove was split up in 2016 and retains the Latin binomial of the former species.[1]
The brush cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo family.
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.
Geoffroyus is a genus of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. The three species are found in and around New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, northern Australia and the islands of Indonesia. It contains the following species:
The purple-bellied lory is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Papua New Guinea. It is found in south-east New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the d'Entrecasteaux Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago, the Trobriand Islands and Woodlark Island.
The buff-faced pygmy parrot is a very small green parrot found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest in New Britain and New Guinea.
Pinon's imperial pigeon is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in New Guinea. The species is named after Rose de Freycinet née Pinon. Several subspecies have been designated:
Mountain pigeons are four species of birds in the genus Gymnophaps in the pigeon family Columbidae. They are found on islands in eastern Indonesia and Melanesia, where they inhabit hill and montane forest. They mostly have dull grey, white, or chestnut-brown plumage, with bright red skin around the eyes being their most distinctive feature. Males and females mostly look alike, but the Papuan mountain pigeon shows slight sexual dimorphism. Mountain pigeons are very social and are usually seen in flocks of at least 10–40 birds, although some species can form flocks of more than 100 individuals. They are generally quiet and do not make many vocalisations. However, they make a distinctive whooshing noise while leaving their high-altitude roosts to feed in the morning.
The white-bibbed fruit dove is a species of bird in the family Columbidae.
The white-bellied cuckooshrike is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in Australia, the Moluccas, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
The common cicadabird, also known as the slender-billed cicadabird, is a species of bird in the family Campephagidae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are temperate forest and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. The species is placed in the reinstated genus Edolisoma by most authors. The common cicadabird was described as a "great speciator" by Mayr & Diamond (2001) and Pedersen et al. (2018) described how this species rapidly colonized and diversified across the Indo-Pacific island region and Australia in the Pleistocene.
The golden monarch is a species of passerine bird in the family Monarchidae found in New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. The golden monarch displays marked sexual dimorphism, the male a striking golden colour with black mask, wings and tail, the female a golden or golden-olive colour. Both bear a characteristic 'teardrop' white pattern below the eye.
The island monarch is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found from Sulawesi to the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
The shining flycatcher is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is found in northern Australia, and from the Moluccas to the Bismarck Archipelago. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.
The drab whistler is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found in the Maluku Islands. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
The grey whistler or brown whistler, is a species of bird in the family Pachycephalidae. It is found in northern Australia and New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest.
The parrot subfamily Psittaculinae consists of three tribes: the Polytelini with three genera, the Psittaculini or Asian psittacines, and the pygmy parrots of the Micropsittini tribe.
The northern golden bulbul is a species of songbird in the family Pycnonotidae. It is endemic to Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.