Golden shouldered parakeet

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Golden shouldered parakeet
Golden-shouldered Parakeet, male

Golden-shouldered Parakeet, male

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family : True parrots (Psittacidae)
Tribe : Flat-tailed Parakeets (Platycercini)
Genre : Singing Parakeets ( Psephotus )
Type : Golden shouldered parakeet
Scientific name
Psephotus chrysopterygius
Gould , 1857

The golden- shouldered parakeet ( Psephotus chrysopterygius ) is a species of parrot that is one of the flat-tailed parakeets . Like all species of the Red Parakeet genus , it occurs exclusively in Australia and only inhabits a very small range there. The population is estimated at only 1,600 breeding pairs. The species is therefore endangered.

Appearance

Golden shouldered parakeets reach a body length of 26 centimeters. They weigh between 54 and 56 grams. It is a species with a very pronounced sexual dimorphism . The predominantly green colored female can hardly be distinguished from that of the hooded parakeet .

The males of the golden-shouldered parakeets have a black crown, neck and over-eye stripes. The forehead, the reins and the under-eye stripes are yellow. The chin and neck are greyish. The flanks, the chest and the sides of the head are blue-green. The belly, the thighs and the under tail-coverts are orange-red, with the individual feathers having a white base and white tips. The back and the small wing coverts are earth brown. The middle wing cover is yellow. The coverts and the outer flags of the hand wings are blue, as is the bow of the wings and the outer arm wings. The rump and the upper tail covers are turquoise blue. The beak is gray-horn colored. The iris is brown.

The females are dull yellowish green on the neck, back and wing covers. The rump and the tail-coverts are of a light turquoise blue. The sides of the neck, the throat and the upper chest are pale green. On the underbust and the upper flank region, this matt green turns into a very light blue-green. The crown and back of the head are bronze green. The forehead, on the other hand, is a light ocher yellow. The cusps of the wing, the coverts and the coverts under the wing are light blue.

distribution and habitat

Golden-shouldered parakeets only occur on the Cape York Peninsula in the north of the Australian state of Queensland . Their range is now disjoint and includes two isolated breeding populations. The range of this species shrank in the 19th century. They disappeared in the southern half of their original range by the turn of the 20th century. In the 1960s and 1970s, the species was hunted intensively and their nests plundered in order to sell the animals illegally in bird markets. However, the main cause is a change in land use and slash and burn caused by European settlers, which led to an increased emergence of the tree species Melaleuca viridiflora . This species belongs to the myrtle heather and can form dense thickets very quickly. At the same time, as a result of European colonization, the population density of crab crows , which are among the predators of the golden-shouldered parakeet, increased. The chances of a strangler crow striking a golden-shouldered parakeet in open tree savannah are not very high. In the emerging Melaleuca viridiflora thickets, on the other hand, the chances of the shrike crows to hit a golden-shouldered parakeet increase.

Golden-shouldered parakeets are inhabitants of moist or dry eucalyptus savannas, the bottom of which is overgrown with annual grasses. Golden-shouldered parakeets are cave breeders who use termite burrows for their nesting holes. Their breeding area is therefore tied to the existence of appropriate termite structures.

behavior

Golden-shouldered parakeets feed mainly on the seeds of annual grasses. The birds grab individual blades of grass with one foot and bend them to the ground. There they eat off the immature seed heads.

The nesting holes of the golden-shouldered parakeets are mainly found in conical termite mounds of the species Amitermes scopulus . The nest holes are usually re-dug by the females every year. The clutch usually consists of four to seven eggs. The laying interval is two days. When the second or third egg is deposited, the female begins to breed. The breeding season is between 19 and 21 days. The nestlings during their first week of life from the female brooded and fed by both parents birds. The nestlings leave the nest box when they are around five weeks old. They form a family group with their parent birds and are provided with food by the parent birds for about another five weeks.

supporting documents

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Forshaw, p. 521
  2. ^ Forshaw, pp. 520 and 521
  3. ^ Forshaw, p. 521
  4. ^ Forshaw, p. 522
  5. ^ Forshaw, p. 523
  6. ^ Forshaw, p. 525

literature

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