Double-eyed Fig-Parrot
Cyclopsitta diophthalma
Tiny rainforest-dwelling parrot. Male has red cheeks. Primarily green with varying levels of red and blue on the face depending on the subspecies. Typically flies quickly overhead or feeds inconspicuously in rainforest canopies. From Little Lorikeet by pale underwings (Little Lorikeet has dark wings), and yellow line near the folded wing (lacking on Little Lorikeet). Its call, usually heard in flight, is a distinctive metallic ‘tzeet-tzeet’. Excavates hollows in softwood rainforest trees.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Cyclopsitta diophthalma
- Authority
- (Hombron & Jacquinot, 1841)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Cyclopsitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Behavior
The double-eyed fig parrot generally forages for figs, berries, seeds, nectar, and the grubs of wood-boring insects. This foraging is done in pairs or in a flock of only a few individuals. It tends to fly in a quick and direct manner. It produces a short and shrill call. Unlike many other parrots which generally use existing holes in trees for nests, double-eyed fig parrots excavate their own nest cavities, usually in a rotten tree.<p>Double-eyed fig parrots utter high-pitched, clipped, two or three note zzzt-zzzt or zeet-zeet calls, unlike the rolling or trilling screeches typical of lorikeets. These calls are mostly made in flight, but sometimes when perched. When engrossed in feeding, it may also make a variety of softer, chattering noises.<p>Eight subspecies of the double-eyed fig parrot are described. Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni, C. d. macleayana, and C. d. marshalli are restricted to Australia, and the other five are restricted to New Guinea and associated islands.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Malabar Imperial-Pigeon
Ducula cuprea
Large elegant pearl-gray pigeon with dark-brown wings. There is a broad gray band across the end of the tail that is especially obvious in flight. Inhabits mature rainforest and deciduous forest, mostly in foothills and montane areas, but sometimes down to sea level. Forages in upper levels of forest, often in small flocks. Flies powerfully over the canopy. Song is deep and resonant: “ouh-woOO WOO.” General coloration similar to Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon, but larger, and lacks that species’ black-and-white patch on the back of the neck. Similar size and structure to Green Imperial-Pigeon, but has many differences, including a brown rather than green back, and the lack of a chestnut undertail patch.
Mottled Petrel
Pterodroma inexpectata
A medium-sized petrel with a distinctive dark patch on the belly. Slightly larger and heavier-bodied than Black-winged, Bonin, and Cook’s Petrels. Regularly seen offshore from boats and sometimes from shore.
Nelson's Sparrow
Ammospiza nelsoni
This bright sparrow has multiple disjunct populations; inland breeders are generally brighter than coastal breeders. Atlantic birds have a duller buffy face and breast with blurry gray streaking; Interior birds are brighter orange with crisper black streaking. Similar to Saltmarsh Sparrow but shows less contrast between the face, throat, and breast and has a shorter blue-gray bill. Inland birds can be confused with LeConte's Sparrow but note clean gray nape and gray, not white, stripe in crown. Conspicuous when singing, otherwise secretive. Its song is a simple hiss like water sizzling in a frying pan. Winters in coastal marshes along most of Atlantic seaboard and Gulf Coast.
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