Henderson Lorikeet
| Henderson Lorikeet | ||||||||||||
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Henderson Lorikeet ( Vini stepheni ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Vini stepheni | ||||||||||||
| ( North , 1908) |
The Henderson Lorikeet ( Vini stepheni ) is a species of parrot from the genus of the Maidloris ( Vini ). It is considered endangered and only occurs on the South Pacific island of Henderson , which is part of the Pitcairn Islands .
Appearance
The petite Henderson Lorikeet is about 19 cm tall and weighs just under 50 g. The belly and partly also the flanks of the Henderson Lorikeet are colored red. The top of the wings are dark green in color, the underside of the wings blackish. The colors light green and dark yellow dominate the tail. The beak is bright yellow.
habitat
The Henderson Lorikeet is found in humid, subtropical forests in the lowlands.
Way of life
The Henderson Lorikeet buzzes around in groups of three to five individuals above the dense plant cover and searches a few meters above the ground for nectar and pollen in flowers or for pulp. But he also likes to eat caterpillars and spiders.
Like its close relative, the Ruby Lorikeet ( Vini kuhlii ), the Henderson Lorikeet nests in tree hollows, where it hatches one or two eggs.
Existence and endangerment
The population of the Henderson Lorikeet is currently estimated at 1000 to 2400 individuals. It is threatened by the destruction of its habitat and introduced animals such as mosquitoes and the house rat ( Rattus rattus ), which is why the species is classified as "endangered".
literature
- Thomas Arndt: Lexicon of Parrots . Arndt Verlag, 2001
- Joseph M. Forshaw: Parrots of the World: An Identification Guide. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, and Woodstock, United Kingdom 2006. ISBN 978-0-691-09251-5
