Vini (bird)

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Vini
Vini australis -two captive-8a.jpg
Blue-crowned lorikeet (Vini australis)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Tribe: Loriini
Genus: Vini
Lesson, RP, 1833
Type species
Vini coccinea
Lesson, 1833

Vini is a genus of birds in the family Psittaculidae that are endemic to the islands of the tropical Pacific. There are eleven extant species of these small lorikeets ranging from the Bismark Archipelago through Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia, and as far east as Henderson Island. All members of the genus have exceptional bright plumage, particularly the unusual all over blues of the blue lorikeet and the ultramarine lorikeet.

Contents

The Vini lorikeets are highly threatened by human changes to their islands. Most species have been lost from a number of islands and two species became extinct before the arrival of European explorers in the Pacific. As of 2017, two species are listed as endangered species by the IUCN and two are considered vulnerable. [1] They are primarily threatened by introduced species, such as rats, and habitat loss.

Taxonomy

The genus Vini was introduced in 1833 by the French naturalist René Lesson for Kuhl's lorikeet. [2] [3] The genus name is the Tahitian word for a local bird. [2] [4] [5]

This genus formerly included only the blue-crowned, ultramarine, Stephen's, Kuhl's, and blue lorikeets (as well as the extinct Sinoto's and conquered lorikeets); the collared lory was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Phigys, and the remaining five species were placed in Charmosyna . A molecular phylogenetic study of the lorikeets published in 2020 led to a revision of the generic boundaries. [6] [7] [8]

Species

The genus contains 11 species: [8]

ImageCommon nameScientific nameDistribution
TrichoglossusAureocinctusKeulemans.jpg Red-throated lorikeet Vini amabilis Fiji
Vini australis -London Zoo, England-8a.jpg Blue-crowned lorikeet Vini australis Futuna, Lau Islands, Niue, Samoan Islands and Tonga
Charmosyna diadema.jpg New Caledonian lorikeet Vini diadema New Caledonia
Vini kuhlii 109929524.jpg Kuhl's lorikeet Vini kuhlii Austral Islands (Rimatara), Cook Islands (Atiu) and Kiribati (Line Islands)
Meek's lorikeet Vini meeki Solomon Archipelago
TrichoglossusPygmaeusKeulemans.jpg Palm lorikeet Vini palmarum Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu
Vini peruviana -captive-8a.jpg Blue lorikeet Vini peruvianaFrench Polynesia and the Cook Islands
Charmosyna rubrigularis.jpg Red-chinned lorikeet Vini rubrigularis Bismarck Archipelago
ViniStepheniGronvold.jpg Stephen's lorikeet Vini stepheni Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands
Phigys solitarius -San Diego Zoo, California, USA-8a (1).jpg Collared lory Vini solitariaFiji
Vini Ultramarina - Ua Huka - Hane - Marquesas Islands.jpg Ultramarine lorikeet Vini ultramarina Marquesas Islands

Fossils

Related Research Articles

<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">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">New Caledonian lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The New Caledonian lorikeet is a potentially extinct lorikeet endemic to the Melanesian island of New Caledonia.

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

The red-throated lorikeet is a critically endangered lorikeet endemic to Fiji. It is 18 cm long and is bright green overall, with red cheeks, throat and thighs.

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

The blue-crowned lorikeet, also known as the blue-crowned lory, blue-crested lory, Solomon lory or Samoan lory, is a parrot found throughout the Lau Islands (Fiji), Tonga, Samoa, Niue and adjacent islands, including: ʻAlofi, Fotuhaʻa, Fulago, Futuna, Haʻafeva, Niuafoʻou, Moce, Niue, Ofu, Olosega, Samoa, Savaiʻi, Tafahi, Taʻu, Tofua, Tonga, Tungua, ʻUiha, ʻUpolu, Varoa, Vavaʻu, and Voleva. It is a 19 cm green lorikeet with a red throat, blue crown, and belly patch shading from red at the top to purple at the bottom.

The blue-fronted lorikeet also known as the Buru lorikeet, is a parrot endemic to the Indonesian island of Buru.

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

The blue lorikeet is a small lorikeet from French Polynesia and the Cook Islands. It is also known as the Tahiti lorikeet, violet lorikeet, Tahitian lory, blue lory, nunbird, and the indigo lory. It was formerly found on 23 islands around Tahiti, but now restricted to perhaps eight islands: Aitutaki, Apataki, Arutua, Kaukura, Manuae, Maupihaa, Motu One, Rangiroa, and possibly Manihi and Manuae. Its plumage is mainly dark blue and it has a white area over its upper chest, throat and face. The first captive breeding in the UK was by the Marquess of Tavistock in the 1930s. He was awarded a silver medal by the Foreign Bird League for this achievement.

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

The conquered lorikeet is a species of parrot that became extinct 700–1300 years ago. It lived in islands of Polynesia. David Steadman and Marie Zarriello wrote its species description in 1987.

<i>Charmosyna</i> Genus of birds

Charmosyna is a genus of parrots in the family Psittaculidae. The three currently recognized species inhabit moist forests on the island of New Guinea.

Meek's lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The palm lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in the Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.

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

The red-flanked lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Mollucas, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. Only the adult males have the red plumage on the head and sides.

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

The red-chinned lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is native to New Britain, New Ireland, New Hannover and Karkar Island in Papua New Guinea.

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

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.

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

The collared lory is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the islands of Fiji. It is the only Fijian rainforest bird to adapt to urban landscapes and can be found in urban Suva. Measuring 20 cm (7.9 in), it has bright red underparts and face with a purple crown and greenish upperparts. Males and females are similar in plumage, although the latter have a paler crown.

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

Goldie's lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Glossoptilus. It is found in forest and woodland in New Guinea, primarily at altitudes of 1000–2200 m. It is mostly green with yellowish streaks in the chest area, and a red, blue and purple head. It is a small bird measuring 19 cm in length and weighing 45–60 grams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ornate lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The ornate lorikeet, sometimes named the ornate lory, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the Sulawesi archipelago in Indonesia. It is found in forest, woodland, mangrove and plantations, and is locally common.

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

Kuhl's lorikeet (Vini kuhlii), also called the Rimitara lorikeet, Kuhl's lory, Manu 'Ura (local appellation) or Kura (Cook Islands), is a species of lorikeet in the family Psittaculidae. It is one of several species of Vini lorikeets found in islands ranging across the South Pacific. The Kuhl for whom Nicholas Aylward Vigors named the bird in 1824 was Heinrich Kuhl, a German ornithologist whose survey of the parrots, Conspectus psittacorum, had appeared in 1819.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultramarine lorikeet</span> Species of bird

The ultramarine lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae, endemic to the Marquesas Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and plantations. It is critically endangered, threatened mainly by introduction of the black rat and by deforestation.

Yosihiko H. Sinoto was a Japanese-born American anthropologist at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is known for his anthropological expeditions throughout the Pacific, particularly Hawaii and French Polynesia.

References

  1. "The IUCN Red Data List of Threatened Species: Vini". IUCN Red List. International Union for Conservation of Nature . Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 Lesson, René P. (1833). Illustrations de zoologie, ou, Recueil de figures d'animaux peintes d'après nature (in French). Paris: Arthus Bertrand. Plate 28 and text, livraison 10. For the publication date see: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. p. 121. ISBN   978-0-9568611-1-5.
  3. Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 156.
  4. [Davies, John] (1851). "Vini". A Tahitian and English Dictionary. Tahiti: London Missionary Society's Press. p. 314. the name of a small paroquet
  5. Wahlroos, Sven (2002). "Vini". English-Tahitian Tahitian-English Dictionary. Honolulu: Māʻohi Heritage Press. p. 684. (1) Tahiti parakeet; (2) small birds of various species imported to Tahiti
  6. Smith, B.T.; Mauck, W.M.I.; Benz, B.W.; Andersen, M.J. (2020). "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.
  7. Joseph, L.; Merwin, J.; Smith, B.T. (2020). "Improved systematics of lorikeets reflects their evolutionary history and frames conservation priorities". Emu - Austral Ornithology. 120 (3): 201–215. Bibcode:2020EmuAO.120..201J. doi:10.1080/01584197.2020.1779596. S2CID   222094508.
  8. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  9. 1 2 Steadman, David W. (2006). Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. Chicago, IL, US: University of Chicago Press. p. 525. ISBN   978-0-226-77142-7.