Blue-winged Racquet-tail
Prioniturus verticalis
A rare medium-sized parrot of lowland forest and edge on the Sulu Islands, possibly only remaining on Tawi-Tawi. The two central tail feathers have extended shafts ending in a racket shape. Overall green in color, darker on the back and paler below, with deeper green on the head and a pale bill. Male has a red-and-blue crown patch, but female’s patch is only blue. Occurs together with Blue-naped and Azure-rumped Parrots, but smaller, with a small pale bill. Voice includes various nasal squawks and grating calls.
Identification
It has mainly dark green plumage on back, an olive/green on its breast and belly. Male birds have a pale blue with small red patch on its forehead and forecrown. Females look identical to the male except, they do not have a red spot on their forecrown. The primary feathers blue on outer webs while the middle tail feathers green. Racquet feathers black tinged with blue. Their side tail feathers are green tipped black. Their bill has a blue-grey hue.<p>It has been described as a rather tame bird and does not usually fear human presence (which has also led to its critically endangered status). They are usually seen in pairs flying over and in the high canopy of trees. It is also rather noisy in flight. This bird feeds on the fruit and flowers of fruiting trees.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Prioniturus verticalis
- Authority
- Sharpe, 1893
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Prioniturus
Range and habitat
Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests.It is now assessed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List with population estimates being just 50 - 249 mature individuals. Its main threat is habitat loss and trapping. Once prevalent throughout all the islands of the Sulu Archipelago, the blue-winged racket-tail is now only found on isolated places on Tawi-Tawi due to rapid habitat destruction during the past 200 years.<p>One of this bird's threats is its own tame behavior. This tame behavior is taken advantage of by trappers and has made it an easy target to capture for the illegal exotic pet trade. Deforestation of the blue-winged racket-tail's natural habitat to make way for both legal and illegal logging agriculture, mining, and the uncontrolled settlement by humans has destroyed most of this bird's original habitat.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Soft-plumaged Petrel
Pterodroma mollis
Attractive petrel with a black mask, largely gray above and white below, with a diagnostic dark breast band. Note the heavy dark bill. In flight, exhibits gray underwings and gray and dark brown M-pattern on the back. The rare dark morph has dark underparts, but still retains the distinctive complete breast band, which is the most useful mark separating this species from Fea’s and Zino’s Petrels. Usually encountered well offshore, in towering roller-coaster flights; sometimes follows boats.
New Guinea Bronzewing
Henicophaps albifrons
A large, distinctive pigeon of lowland and montane forest. Long bill, white forehead and dark reddish neck. Metallic bronze, green and blue bands in the wing. Feeds on the forest floor and perches upright on a branch, bobbing its head. Shy and difficult to see. Thick-billed Ground-Pigeon is a similar size but has a white cheek rather than forehead and lacks iridescence in the wing. Voice, a repeated series of rapid, upslurred “woop” notes.
Buff-shouldered Widowbird
Euplectes psammacromius
Breeding males are mostly black with a long tail. There is a large yellow-and-buff patch on the shoulder. Females and non-breeding males are streaky and brown, though males retain their colorful shoulder. Found locally in montane marsh, heath, and grassland. Vocalizations include low rasps and twittering and sizzling calls. Male separated from Marsh Widowbird by its more extensive buff shoulder patch. Female can be confused with several other species, but is usually identified by association with buff-shouldered males.
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