Violet-necked Lory
Trichoglossus squamatus
A spectacular red parrot with a deep purple-blue belly. Limited to the Moluccas, where variation may represent two species. In north, shows a diagnostic purple collar that is lacking in southern island populations, which show entirely red heads. Juveniles are red underneath with purple feather edging. Gregarious, found in pairs and groups within canopy in forest, forest edge, and plantations in lowlands and foothills. Northern forms are distinguished from Chattering Lory by the blue belly, red-and-blue wings, and blue collar. Gives various loud screeches that can sound like “WIT,” “KIT,” “ER,” and a shrill “EEK.”
Identification
The violet-necked lory is 27 cm (11 in) long. It bears a strong resemblance to the female eclectus parrot except it has an orange-yellow beak. It is mostly red and blue with a blue abdomen. its extent of blue neck collar depends on subspecies. It has red and black in wings and a purple-red tail.
Taxonomy
The violet-necked lory was described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1780 in his Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux from a specimen obtained from the island of Gebe in the Maluku Islands of eastern Indonesia. The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name but in 1783 the Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name Psittacus squamatus in his catalogue of the Planches Enluminées. The violet-necked lory is now placed in the genus Eos that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832. The genus name is from the Ancient Greek eōs meaning "dawn". The specific epithet squamata is from the Latin squamatus meaning "scaled".<p>Three subspecies are recognised:
- Scientific name
- Trichoglossus squamatus
- Authority
- (Boddaert, 1783)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Trichoglossus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Nomadic
Behavior
Migration pattern: Nomadic.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Fairly large hummingbird with a striking facial pattern and a long tail. Brown above, white below, with a brown head and black-and-white forked tail. Males have an iridescent green and purple gorget, and in some populations a blue forehead; females are similar but duller. Found in dry mountain scrub at high elevations.
White-eyed Robin
Pachycephalopsis poliosoma
A medium-sized bird of mid-montane forest understory. Sooty gray color, paler on the belly, darker on the face and wing. Note the pale eye and white throat contrasting with the dark face. Birds on the Huon Peninsular have a gray throat. Perches on low branches, flicking tail and scanning the ground for insect prey. Smoky and Blue-gray Robins have limited altitudinal overlap, but White-eyed is usually found at lower elevations, has a white eye and usually a white throat. Voice, a loud, upslurred whistle “wit!”. Also, a rising series of notes, first whistled then becoming raspier and accelerating.
White-tailed Ptarmigan
Lagopus leucura
Plump, chickenlike bird found in tundra with a mix of rocks and mossy ground cover. Plumage changes throughout the year. In winter, both sexes are pure white. As summer progresses, male develops grayish-brown feathers on head, neck, and back; generally quite splotchy. Summer female is pale golden with intricate black and white markings. Both sexes similar to other ptarmigan species, but smaller with distinctive white outer tail feathers. Generally found singly or in pairs in summer; forms small flocks in winter. Feeds mainly on plants.
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