Ruby Lorikeet

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Ruby Lorikeet
Ruby Lorikeet, illustration by Edward Lear

Ruby Lorikeet, illustration by Edward Lear

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family : True parrots (Psittacidae)
Subfamily : Loris (Loriinae)
Genre : Maidloris ( Vini )
Type : Ruby Lorikeet
Scientific name
Vini kuhlii
( Vigors , 1824)

The Ruby Lorikeet ( Vini kuhlii ) is a species of parrot belonging to the genus Maidloris ( Vini ). It is endemic to the Line Islands and Rimatara . The type epithet honors the German zoologist Heinrich Kuhl .

features

The ruby ​​lory reaches a size of 19 centimeters. The top is green. The hood shows light green shaft stripes. The back of the head is dark blue with light blue shaft stripes. The reins, cheeks, ear covers, throat, and stomach are red. The thighs are purple-blue. The under tail-coverts and the back are yellowish-green. The top of the tail is red, the underside gray. A narrow, gray eye ring runs around the reddish-brown iris. The feet are flesh-colored, the beak orange. The sexes look the same. In immature birds, the beak has a dark tip. The plumage is less red. The chest and stomach have a gray-purple tinge. The iris is dark. The voice is a high-pitched croak or scream.

Occurrence

The original distribution area was on Rimatara and the Cook Islands . Before 1798 and again in 1957 it was introduced to Tabuaeran , Teraina and Kiritimati in the Line Islands . Subfossil bone material was found on Mangaia in the Cook Islands.

habitat

The ruby ​​lory lives in dense rainforests, forest edges, gardens and coconut plantations.

Way of life

The ruby ​​lory lives nomadically outside the breeding season, otherwise it goes in search of food in pairs or in small groups. Its diet consists of pollen, soft fruits and flower nectar. It can often be seen in mixed flocks of birds. The breeding season is between January and March. The Ruby Lorikeet nests in dead tree stumps, crevices in the palm bark and rotting coconuts. The size of the eggs is not known.

Existence and endangerment

BirdLife International classifies the Ruby Lorikeet in the “endangered” category . Overhunting because of the red feathers is most likely the cause of the extinction of the Ruby Lorikeet in the Cook Islands in the 1820s. A serious threat to this species on Rimatara is nest looting by house rats and Pacific rats. There were no house rats on Rimatara in 2000, but the Pacific rat was widespread and common. In 2007 this situation was unchanged. The Pacific rat is also widespread on Teraina. The house rat is common on Tabuaeran. Feral domestic cats are believed to be a threat on Kiritimati. In 1992 the population on Rimatara was estimated at around 905 specimens. In 2004 the population had dropped to 610 individuals. In April 2007, 27 specimens were released on the rat-free island of Atiu in the Cook Islands , which first hatched in 2008. The population on Teraina is estimated at 1000 individuals and on Tabuaeran at 50 individuals. In 1999 a few specimens survived on Kiritimati.

literature

  • McCormack, G. (2008). "The Rimatara Lorikeet or Kura in Atiu (Cook Islands): First Annual Report". PDF online .
  • J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, J. Sargatal (Eds.) (1997): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos . Lynx Edicions, ISBN 84-87334-22-9

Web links