Ultramarine Lorikeet

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Ultramarine Lorikeet
Ultramarine Lorikeet (Vini ultramarina)

Ultramarine Lorikeet ( Vini ultramarina )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family : True parrots (Psittacidae)
Subfamily : Loris (Loriinae)
Genre : Maidloris ( Vini )
Type : Ultramarine Lorikeet
Scientific name
Vini ultramarina
( Kuhl , 1820)

The Ultramarinlori ( Vini ultramarina ), also called Smaragdlori , is a species of parrot from the genus of the Maidloris ( Vini ). It is considered endangered and only occurs on the island of Ua Huka in the Marquesas .

features

The Ultramarine Lorikeet reaches a size of 18 cm, a wing length of 115 to 127 mm and a weight of 35 g. The forehead of the adult birds is deep blue. The crown and the back of the head are ultramarine blue. The face is white. The elongated feathers are dashed in lighter blue. The top is dull blue. The underside is white with a dark blue mottling. A dark ultramarine blue band runs across the chest. The thighs and the under tail-coverts are ultramarine blue. The light blue tail has white tips. The beak is orange with a brownish-black tip. The iris is yellow-orange and the legs are orange. In juvenile birds, the underside is dark blue, with the sides of the chest and flanks being lighter. The ear covers are marked in different gray and white. The beak is black, the iris is dark brown, and the legs are orange-brown.

habitat

The Ultramarine Lorikeet inhabits montane forests at altitudes between 500 and 1000 m, where it is preferred to be found at the edges of the forest. Occasionally it can also be observed in botanical gardens as well as in fruit and coconut plantations in the lowlands at higher densities.

Way of life

The Ultramarine Lorikeets look for food individually or in pairs. Outside the breeding season, it can also be seen in groups of up to six specimens. It is often found in the forest canopy or in the blooming crowns of coconut palms, mangoes or banana trees, less often on low-growing branches or in bushes. It is noisy and restless when foraging for food, and it climbs around the branches to reach the flowers and fruits. Its flight is fast and direct with rapid wing beats. The contact call is a high-pitched , screeching psitt ... that is repeated every few seconds and can be heard at a distance of 100 m. The Ultramarine Lorikeet generally flies above or just below the treetop height. However, it can reach considerable heights on longer flights. When it flies down the mountain slopes, it makes short gliding flights with partially closed, downwardly curved wings.

The diet consists of pollen, nectar, flowers, berries, buds, soft fruits and occasionally insects and their larvae. In gardens you can see the ultramarine lory on the mango trees ( Mangifera indica ).

The breeding season extends from June to August. The nest holes are in hollow trees or coconut palms, crevices in palms or in rotting coconuts that are still hanging on the tree. Sometimes there are clutches in abandoned nests of finches or other birds. The eggs measure 22.6 × 18.6 mm.

Existence and endangerment

The decline in the ultramarine chlorine population presumably began around 1915 when rats were first sighted on Nuku Hiva . In 1975, an estimated 500 to 600 ultramarine loris existed on the island of Ua Pou . In 1980 house rats were accidentally introduced to the island, which by 1998 had wiped out the ultramarine flora on Ua Pou. Between 1992 and 1994, 29 Ultramarine Lorikeets were released on Fatu Hiva . By 1997 the population had grown to 51 specimens and it was confident that a stable population would be established. In 2000 the rats reached Fatu Hiva and in 2007 the ultramarine lory also disappeared from this island. In 1975, 70 specimens were counted on Nuku Hiva, but searches in 1990 and 2004 did not reveal any more specimens. Today the Ultramarine Lorikeet only exists on Ua Huka , where a school teacher reintroduced a couple in the 1940s. In the early 1970s, the population had risen to 200 to 250 individuals, in 1991 to around 1,300 and currently BirdLife International estimates the population at 1,000 to 2,500 adults.

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 / Woodstock, United Kingdom 2006, ISBN 0-691-09251-6 .
  • J. Del Hoyo, A. Elliot, J. Sargatal (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 4: Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions, 1997, ISBN 84-87334-22-9

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