Seychelles black parrot

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Seychelles black parrot
CoracopsisBarklyiWolf.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Genus: Coracopsis
Species:
C. barklyi
Binomial name
Coracopsis barklyi
Newton, E, 1867

The Seychelles black parrot, Praslin parrot or kato nwar (Coracopsis barklyi) is a sombre-coloured, medium-sized parrot endemic to the Seychelles. Historically, it has been treated as a subspecies of the lesser vasa parrot, although it shows morphological, ecological and behavioural differences. [2] Recent phylogenetic research indicates that the Seychelles population has a long history of isolation and may be sister to the rest of Coracopsis. It is the national bird of the Seychelles.

Contents

Description

The Seychelles black parrot is entirely dark grey-brown except for greyish undertail-coverts; the dark bill becomes paler during the breeding season. [3] It is about 30 cm in length, smaller and paler than the 35 cm lesser vasa parrot. [4]

Distribution and habitat

Observation of the black parrot in Vallee De Mai (Praslin, March 2016) BlackParrot2016.jpg
Observation of the black parrot in Vallée De Mai (Praslin, March 2016)

The parrot is found only on the island of Praslin, where its main breeding area is limited by the availability of mature palm forest to the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve and the lower part of Fond Peper in Praslin National Park. It has also been recorded (since 1988) on neighbouring Curieuse where it has been seen feeding though there is no evidence of breeding. It inhabits woodland, scrubland and gardens. [5]

Behaviour

Feeding

The parrots’ diet is principally fruit, both wild and cultivated, as well as flowers and buds. Wild foods include the fruits of the endemic palm Vershaffeltia splendida, growing along the river valleys, as well as the flowers of the coco de mer. [6] Cultivated fruits utilised by the parrots include guava, papaya, mango and bilimbi.

Breeding

The birds breed in deep cavities of old tree trunks with good cover, where they lay 1-3 eggs.

Status and conservation

The population of the Seychelles black parrot is around 520-900 birds. [7] Although it is protected, it is threatened by illegal persecution outside the reserve as well as by competition for nesting hollows with common mynas, [5] and predation by introduced rats. [4] [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Lodoicea</i> Genus of plant, Coco de Mer

Lodoicea, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut, is a monotypic genus in the palm family. The sole species, Lodoicea maldivica, is endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It has the biggest seed in a plant. It formerly also was found on the small islets of St Pierre, Chauve-Souris, and Ile Ronde, all located near Praslin, but had become extinct there for a time until recently reintroduced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seychelles bulbul</span> Species of bird

The Seychelles bulbul is a member of the bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a common endemic species of the Seychelles, breeding on Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette as well as some smaller islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seychelles kestrel</span> Species of bird

The Seychelles kestrel is a small bird of prey belonging to the genus Falco in the falcon family, Falconidae. It is endemic to the Seychelles Islands where it is the only breeding bird of prey. It is known in Seychellois Creole as the katiti after its loud, shrill call.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praslin</span> Island in the Seychelles, Somali Sea

Praslin is the second largest island (38.5 km2) of the Inner Seychelles, lying 44 km (27 mi) northeast of Mahé. Praslin has a population of around 7,533 people and comprises two administrative districts: Baie Sainte Anne and Grand' Anse. The main settlements are the Baie Ste Anne, Anse Volbert and Grand' Anse.

Curieuse Island is a small granitic island 1.13 sq mi (2.9 km2) in the Seychelles close to the north coast of the island of Praslin. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the unique coco de mer palms, one of the cultural icons of the Seychelles, only growing on the two neighboring islands.

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

The greater vasa parrot is one of two species of vasa parrot, the other being the lesser vasa parrot C. nigra. The greater vasa parrot can be found throughout Madagascar and the Comoros.

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

The vasa parrots that form the genus Coracopsis are four species of parrot in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae that are endemic to Madagascar and other islands in the western Indian Ocean. Some taxonomists formerly placed the species in the genus in Mascarinus, but this is now thought to be based on the results of a heavily flawed, later-debunked genetic study.

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

The lesser vasa parrot or black parrot is a black coloured parrot endemic to most of Madagascar. It is one of four species of vasa parrots, the others being the greater vasa parrot, the Seychelles black parrot, and the Comoros black parrot. The latter two were formerly considered conspecific with the lesser vasa parrot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seychelles parakeet</span> Extinct bird species once endemic to Seychelles

The Seychelles parakeet or Seychelles Island parrot is an extinct species of parrot that was endemic to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. It was scientifically named Palaeornis wardi by the British ornithologist Edward Newton in 1867, and the specific name honours the British civil commissioner Swinburne Ward who procured the specimens that formed the basis for the description. It was found on the islands of Mahé, Silhouette, and possibly Praslin. Ten skin specimens exist today, but no skeletons. Though the species was later moved to the genus Psittacula, genetic studies have led some researchers to suggest it should belong in a reinstated Palaeornis along with the closely related Alexandrine parakeet (P. eupatria) of Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vallée de Mai</span> Protected area

Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve is a nature park and UNESCO World Heritage Site on the island of Praslin, Seychelles. It consists of a well-preserved palm forest, flagship species made up of the island endemic coco de mer, as well as five other endemic palms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mascarene parrot</span> Extinct species of bird from Réunion

The Mascarene parrot or mascarin is an extinct species of parrot that was endemic to the Mascarene island of Réunion in the western Indian Ocean. The taxonomic relationships of this species have been subject to debate; it has historically been grouped with either the Psittaculini parrots or the vasa parrots, with the latest genetic study favouring the former group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seychelles swiftlet</span> Species of bird

The Seychelles swiftlet is a small bird of the swift family. It is found only in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Phoenicophorium</i> Genus of palms

Phoenicophorium, the thief palm, is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. The sole species is Phoenicophorium borsigianum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buru racket-tail</span> Species of bird

The Buru racket-tail, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the forest on the island of Buru, one of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia.

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

Stephen's lorikeet, also known as the Henderson lorikeet or the Henderson Island Lorikeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands of the South Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Seychelles</span>

The wildlife of Seychelles comprises the flora and fauna of the Seychelles islands off the eastern coast of Africa in the western Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger chameleon</span> Species of lizard

The tiger chameleon, also known as the Seychelles tiger chameleon, is the only species in the resurrected genus Archaius. Initially placed into Chamaeleo, it was for some time moved to the genus Calumma by some. It is an endangered species of chameleon, found only on the Seychelles islands of Mahé, Silhouette and Praslin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psittrichasiidae</span> Family of birds

Psittrichasiidae is a family of birds belonging to the superfamily of the true parrots (Psittacoidea). It is a very small family, the smallest of the three families of the true parrots. It is divided into two subfamilies: Psittrichasinae and Coracopsinae, that contain a single genus each. The first contains a single species, native to New Guinea, and the second contains four living species distributed throughout Madagascar and other islands of the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praslin National Park and surrounding areas Important Bird Area</span> National park

The Praslin National Park and surrounding areas Important Bird Area lies in the southern part of the island of Praslin in the Seychelles archipelago of the western Indian Ocean.

The Comoros black parrot is a medium-sized parrot endemic to the Comoros. Historically, it has been treated as a subspecies of the lesser vasa parrot, although it shows morphological, ecological and behavioural differences. It was split as a distinct species by the IOC in 2021.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Coracopsis barklyi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22727890A94964796. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22727890A94964796.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. Rocamora G, Skerrett A. 2001. Seychelles. In: Fishpool L, Evans MI editors. Important bird areas in Africa and associated islands. Newbury and Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. pp 751-768.
  3. Skerrett, A and Disley, T. 2011 Birds of Seychelles. Christopher Helm
  4. 1 2 Seychelles Islands Foundation: Vallee de Mai - key species
  5. 1 2 Catalogue of threatened and extinct bird species in the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam Archived 2009-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
  6. African Bird Club: The Seychelles
  7. Reuleaux A, Bunbury N, Villard P, Waltert M. 2013. Status, distribution and recommendations for monitoring of the Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis (nigra) barklyi.Oryx
  8. BirdLife IBA factsheet: SC003 Praslin National Park and surrounding areas