Philippine Hanging-Parrot
Loriculus philippensis
A very small parrot of lowland and foothill wooded areas. Overall green in color with a red forehead and rump, an orange bill, orange legs, and a small orange patch on the back of the head. Male has variable amounts of orange or red on the crown and a large orange chest patch, whereas the female has a bluish face. Note the long, pointed upper bill. Similar in length to Guaiabero, but longer-tailed and smaller-bodied. Voice includes a pulsing series of three or more notes: “tsik-tsik-tsik!”
Identification
Philippine hanging parrots are about 14 cm (5.5 in) long, weigh 32–40 g, and have a short rounded tail. They are mainly green with areas of red, orange, yellow, and blue varying between subspecies. The forehead is red and the irises are dark brown. Adults have red beaks and orange legs except for Loriculus (philippensis) bonapartei which have black beaks and grey legs. They are sexually dimorphic with only the males having red on their chin or upper chest, except for the Loriculus (philippensis) camiguinensis in which neither the male or female has a red bib or chest. Juveniles have less red on their heads and paler beaks, but otherwise resemble the female.
Taxonomy
The species or species complex was initially described by Statius Müller in 1776. The exact taxonomy listing is unclear.<p>Loriculus philippensis (Statius Muller) 1776<p>In 2006, hanging parrots living on the island of Camiguin, off the northern coast of Mindanao, were described and thought to have a separate identity, Loriculus (philippensis) camiguinensis; however, more research and DNA analysis is required to clarify their taxonomy. There is also uncertainty over the taxonomy of Loriculus (philippensis) bonapartei which has been classified as a subspecies or a species in different classifications.
- Scientific name
- Loriculus philippensis
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Loriculus
Range and habitat
The Philippine hanging parrot is native to the Philippines except the Sulu Archipelago and it is not widespread on Palawan. The different subspecies are native to different islands, and some subspecies are rare or almost extinct. Trading of birds between the islands for pets has resulted in escaped pets living on different islands to where they originated.<p>Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests, bamboo forest and tropical moist montane forest. It also occupies human-modified habitats including coconut groves and secondary forest. It is most common in lowland areas, being rare above 1250 m.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Philippine hanging parrots are usually encountered alone or in pairs, rarely in small groups. They mostly forage for food in the canopy or middle storeys of forests, and their diet is composed of nectar and flowers as well as soft fruits such as those from figs (Ficus).<p>The species is a season breeder, with nesting occurring from March to May. Like most parrots it is a cavity nester; a nest found in the wild was in a cavity high up in a dead tree. However, it is one of the few species of parrots that uses nesting material in the nest, the female tucks nesting material between feathers in order to take it back to the nest. In captivity the clutch size was 3 eggs which are incubated for 20 days. The chicks take around 35 days to fledge after hatching. The rounded eggs measure about 18.7 x 16.4 mm.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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