Horned Parakeet

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Horned Parakeet
Horned Parakeet (Eunymphicus cornutus)

Horned Parakeet ( Eunymphicus cornutus )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family : True parrots (Psittacidae)
Tribe : Flat-tailed Parakeets (Platycercini)
Genre : Horn parakeets ( Eunymphicus )
Type : Horned Parakeet
Scientific name
Eunymphicus cornutus
( Gmelin , 1788)

The horned parakeet ( Eunymphicus cornutus ) is a species of parrot from the genus of the horned parakeet ( Eunymphicus ). Two subspecies are recognized.

features

The horned parakeet reaches a length of 32 centimeters and weighs between 100 and 150 grams. Its plumage is predominantly light green, interspersed with yellow-green spots. The forehead and the top of the head are red, the feather comb attached there is black and has red ends. The face is black to black-green, which contrasts the eye with its red iris . The plumage is yellow behind the eye and into the neck. The non-erectable comb consists of four clearly separated feathers. The outside flags of the hand wings are blue, the inside flags are black. The arm covers are green like the predominant body fletching. The tail feathers are blue-green. Legs and feet are gray. The beak is light gray at the base and dark gray towards the edges and tip.

Males are significantly larger than females, and their beak is larger.

The call of the horned parakeet is described as kho-khoot . The parakeets behave calmly when they are in the treetops. However, they can be extremely noisy when flying over an open space. Your flight is wavy.

Subspecies

Comparison of the two subspecies, below the Ouvea Parakeet.

Two subspecies are recognized:

  • Eunymphicus cornutus cornutus is the nominate form.
  • The Ouvea Parakeet ( Eunymphicus cornutus uvaeensis E. L. & ELC Layard , 1882 ) occurs only on the island of Ouvéa . Only his forehead shows red, lying feathers. The feather comb consists of dark green feathers and the back of the head is not yellow in color. He has a dark green mask, which is sharply demarcated from the light green fletching towards the cheeks, but blurs into light green towards the occiput and neck plumage.

behavior

Horned Parakeets live in pairs or in small groups. This was observed increasingly in the months of April to June. In search of food, which mainly consists of seeds and nuts, the animals stay in the treetops. To take in the food, it is held in place with one foot and then worked with the beak. It is believed that during the Australian winter from June to September, Horned Parakeets migrate in groups through different habitats in search of food. However, the group does not split up into smaller groups. Horned parakeets can also be found in rural settlements and open spaces.

Reproduction

The breeding season of the horned parakeet lasts from August to January. The nests are created under rocks and fallen tree trunks near the ground. In addition, the construction of nests in tree hollows has only recently been discovered. There is no territoriality during brood or it is only very weak. The clutch consists of two to four, usually three eggs, which are incubated for about 21 days. During the brood only the female sits on the nest and only leaves it briefly to eat when she calls the male who is feeding her. This can happen between four and six times a day.

The young hatch within 48 hours. They are blind when hatched, have a white down and weigh between five and six grams. They are fed by both parents. After 10 to 15 days, they open their eyes. By then they will have grown a thicker gray fluff. The wing and tail feathers have grown within three weeks and the body fletching is complete within six weeks. At this point the beak is still yellow, the crest red. The beak gradually turns gray over the next three to six months and the plumage assimilates to the adult animals. The survival rate of the young animals after 30 days is 50 percent. Female horned parakeets reach sexual maturity at the age of two and males at the age of three.

Second broods are possible, apparently depending on the success of the first brood. However, a large proportion of the adult horned parakeets do not reproduce.

Theuerkauf et al. (2009) were able to demonstrate cooperative breeding in the open air in horned parakeets over five years in two nests , whereby two males of different sizes lived together with one female and both males fed the nestlings and the female.

distribution and habitat

Map of New Caledonia
New Caledonia and neighboring islands
Landscape on Ouvéa

The horned parakeet is endemic to New Caledonia . There it is found unevenly in damp forests, savannahs and bushland. Its distribution extends from valleys to altitudes of 1500 meters above sea level.

Existence and endangerment

The IUCN has classified the Horned Parakeet as endangered ( vulnerable ) since 2009 . From 2000 to 2008, he was as endangered ( endangered ) out. In renewed censuses by the Institut Agronomique neo-Calédonia (IAC) from 2003 to 2006, however, a population of more than 2500 sexually mature individuals was found, including about 720 couples. Since the total population is declining, probably due to the destruction of the habitat, the species is still considered endangered. The Horned Parakeet is already locally extinct on Mont Panié . The endangerment of the horned parakeet is caused on the one hand by the destruction of its habitat through deforestation, on the other hand by introduced deer, but also by newly introduced mammals such as rats, which plunder the nests. The risk posed by being caught is less well documented, but it does not seem to play a threatening role. However, there are now and then illegal hunts for these animals. A study in the context of a project that has also been funded by the Fund for Endangered Parrots since 1994 comes to slightly different assessments in 2010. In addition to forest destruction, introduced bees and the removal of young birds from the nests as well as potentially introduced predators are named as causes of danger. The population has developed positively from an estimated 617 birds in 1993 to 2,090 birds in 2009, as the local population stopped taking young birds as a protective measure. Another measure recommended is to prevent the potential introduction of rats.

attitude

The horned parakeet is kept comparatively rarely, captive bred for the first time in 1994 in Loro Parque on Tenerife.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Joseph Michael Forshaw: Parrots of the world. Princeton Univ. Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0-691-14285-2 , p. 138.
  2. ↑ ibc.lynxeds.com
  3. ↑ a b Eunymphicus cornutus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2011. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2009. Accessed November 13, 2011th
  4. ↑ theparrotsocietyuk.org
  5. ↑ N. Barré, J. Theuerkauf, L. Verfaille, P. Primot, M. Saoumoé: Exponential population increase in the endangered Ouvéa Parakeet (Eunymphicus uvaeensis after community-based protection from nest poaching). In: Journal of Ornithology . Volume 151, No. 3, 2010, pp. 695-701.
  6. ↑ Robert Pies-Schulz-Hofen: The zookeeper training: Basic knowledge for zoo, game and pet keeping. 3. Edition. Parey, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8304-4134-7 , p. 564.

Web links

Commons : Horned Parakeet ( Eunymphicus cornutus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files