Salvadori's Fig-Parrot
Cyclopsitta salvadorii
A medium-sized, chunky parrot of lowland and foothill forest. Green body and crown, yellow-green streaked cheek and a blue patch behind the eye. Male has a red patch on the chest. Tail usually held to a point. Courtship behaviour includes head-bobbing and presenting pieces of peeled off bark. Similar to Edward’s Fig-Parrot and ranges may meet. Salvadori’s lacks the red streaked face and purple breast band. Call, a very shrill high-pitch note, sometimes followed by a high-pitch rough note “tsiik!-krrrk!”.
Identification
These birds are sexually dimorphic. The male of the species has an orange breast patch and yellow cheeks, while the female has a pale blue breast patch and greenish-yellow cheeks. The juveniles of the species all resemble females until adult plumage begins to grow in.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cyclopsitta salvadorii
- Authority
- (Oustalet, 1880)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Cyclopsitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Brightly-colored male has a bright golden belly, a black chest band and head, and a clean white throat. He appears to have a black “shawl” with golden wings and a black tail. Female is considerably duller, being olive-brownish above and yellow below, with a brown breast. Endemic to Vanikoro, in the southeastern Solomons, where it is found in most island habitats, though avoids villages. Voice includes a sequence of sparsely spaced, thin, uninspired whistles. Formerly grouped with Utupua Whistler and Nendo Whistler under “Temotu Whistler.”
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Rare finch restricted to arid lowlands and foothills of western Ecuador and far northwestern Peru. Plumage is golden with black wings marked with yellow stripes; male has a dark hood. May overlap with the very similar Hooded Siskin in the foothills of the Andes, and birds seen in this region are not always identifiable. Saffron Siskin is slightly brighter on average, and male’s back is cleaner, lacking dusky markings. Usually seen in small flocks that feed mainly on seeds in trees, bushes, and tall grass.
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