Real parrot finches
Real parrot finches | ||||||||||||
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Erythrura | ||||||||||||
Swainson , 1837 |
The real parrot finches ( Erythrura ) are a genus of the finch family .
description
The real parrot finches reach a body length between nine and fifteen centimeters. Most species have green plumage. Most species also have red or blue colored body parts. With them, the rear rump and the upper tail-coverts are typically red. Others have a red skull or a red neck band such as the colored-head parrot finch . The tail length varies a lot. For example, the King Parrots , Peales Parrots and Samoa Parrots are noticeably short-tailed .
Distribution area and way of life
The distribution area of the real parrots extends from southeast Asia to New Guinea , the north of Australia and numerous Pacific islands. Some species have extremely small distribution areas. For example, Kleinschmidt's Parrot Madine only occurs on the island of Viti Levu in the Fiji Islands .
The habitat of the real parrots are rainforests, bamboo thickets and grasslands. Some species have also opened up human settlement space and are found on agricultural land and in gardens. Their diet typically consists of the seeds of grass, bamboo, and herbaceous perennials. Among the real parrots there are also pronounced food specialists, such as the king parrot , which is mainly specialized in the seeds of wild fig species . Mostly insects and their larvae supplement the diet.
Kleinschmidt's parrot finch is one of the rarest species of finch and is classified as an endangered ( vulnerable ) species by the IUCN . Unlike most species of fine finch, it has never been introduced into Europe alive. The IUCN also classifies the Manila Parrot Finch and the King Parrot Finch as endangered.
species
The following species belong to the real parrot finches:
- Bamboo Parrot Finch ( E. hyperythra )
- Blue-green parrot finch ( E. tricolor )
- Colored head parrot finch ( E. coloria )
- Tricolor Parrot Finch ( E. trichroa )
- Kleinschmidt's Parrot Madine ( E. kleinschmidti )
- King parrot finch ( E. regia )
- Leek-green parrot finch ( E. prasina )
- Manila Parrot Finch ( E. viridifacies )
- Papuan parrot finch ( E. papuana )
- Peales parrot finch ( E. prasina )
- Red-headed Parrot Finch ( E. psittacea )
- Samoan Parrot Finch ( E. cyaneovirens )
Controversial:
- Gouldian finch ( E. gouldiae )
supporting documents
literature
- Jürgen Nicolai (Ed.), Joachim Steinbacher (Ed.), Renate van den Elzen, Gerhard Hofmann: Prachtfinken - Australia, Oceania, Southeast Asia. Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3249-4 .
- Peter Clement , Alan Harris , John Davis: Finches and Sparrows - An Identification Guide . Christopher Helm, London 1993, ISBN 0-7136-8017-2 .
Web links
- BirdLife Factsheet on Actual Parrots , accessed June 25, 2010
Single receipts
- ↑ a b Nicolai et al., P. 179
- ↑ BirdLife Factsheet , accessed June 25, 2010
- ↑ BirdLife Factsheet on the Manila Parrot Madine , accessed June 23, 2010
- ↑ BirdLife Factsheet on the King Parrot , accessed June 25, 2010