Woodpecker parrots
| Woodpecker parrots | ||||||||||
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Geelvink woodpecker parrot ( M. geelvinkiana ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Micropsittinae | ||||||||||
| Lesson , 1831 |
The woodpecker parrots ( Micropsitta ) are a genus of the family of real parrots. They are the smallest parrots within the order of parrots.
features
Woodpecker parrots reach a body length of eight to ten centimeters. Compared to their body size, they have a strong beak with filing notches and deep edge notches in front of the tip of the upper beak. The toes and toe claws are also comparatively long.
In most of the species belonging to the genus, the body plumage is predominantly green and contrasts with red, blue or yellow colored areas on the head or belly. The tail feathers are stiffened and, like woodpeckers, provide support when they climb around tree trunks. With the tail feathers, the feather shafts are also longer than the feather tails. A sexual dimorphism is present, but differently pronounced in the individual species. Young birds are more dull in color than the adult birds.
Distribution area and way of life
Woodpecker parrots are found in New Guinea and the offshore islands.
They are mostly lowland dwellers, only the red-breasted woodpecker parrot also occurs in the mountainous region. Woodpecker parrots have very unusual nutritional needs. They eat almost exclusively the fungi and lichens that are found on the bark of tree trunks. They also take on animal protein in the form of small insects and their larvae contained therein.
attitude
Woodpecker parrots are one of the few species of birds that have not yet been kept for a period longer than a few days. They do not eat any food and may die of cardiovascular failure in captivity due to stress.
species
The following species and subspecies are counted among the woodpecker parrots:
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Brown-fronted Woodpecker Parrot ( M. pusio )
- M. p. beccarii (Salvadori 1876)
- M. p. harterti Mayr 1940
- M. p. pusio (Sclater, PL 1866)
- M. p. stresemanni Hartert 1926
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Yellow-capped Woodpecker Parrot ( M. keiensis )
- M. k. chloroxantha Oberholser 1917
- M. k. keiensis (Salvadori 1876)
- M. k. viridipectus (Rothschild 1911)
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Geelvink woodpecker parrot ( M. geelvinkiana )
- M. g. geelvinkiana (Schlegel 1871)
- M. g. misoriensis (Salvadori 1876)
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Meek woodpecker parrot ( M. meeki )
- M. m. meeki Rothschild & Hartert 1914
- M. m. proxima Rothschild & Hartert 1924
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Solomon Woodpecker Parrot ( M. finschii )
- M. f. aolae (Ogilvie Grant 1888)
- M. f. finschii (Ramsay, EP 1881)
- M. f. nanina (Tristram 1891)
- M. f. tristrami (Rothschild & Hartert 1902)
- M. f. viridifrons (Rothschild & Hartert 1899)
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Red-breasted woodpecker parrot ( M. bruijnii )
- M. b. bruijnii (Salvadori 1875)
- M. b. buruensis Arndt 1999
- M. b. necopinata Hartert 1925
- M. b. pileata Mayr 1940
- M. b. rosea Mayr 1940
literature
- Joseph M. Forshaw: Parrots of the World. Princeton University Press 2010, ISBN 978-0691142852 .
- W. Grummt , H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds. Verlag Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt am Main 2009, ISBN 978-3-8171-1636-2 .
Single receipts
- ^ Joseph M. Forshaw: Parrots of the World. Princeton University Press 2010, ISBN 978-0691142852 , panels 24 and 25.
- ↑ Juniper, T., & M. Parr (1998). A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press, East Sussex. ISBN 1-873403-40-2
- ↑ W. Grummt, H. Strehlow (Ed.): Zoo animal keeping birds . P. 370
