Meek's Pygmy-Parrot
Micropsitta meeki
A tiny, distinctive parrot. Mostly green with a saffron-yellow neck and chest and a brownish-gray face. Bill pale. Appears to prefer degraded forest and forest edge. The only pygmy-parrot in its range. Call is a high-pitched “tsit” or “tsee.”
Identification
Pygmy parrots are the smallest members of the true parrots superfamily. They are fast-moving, emerald-green birds with brilliant flashes of colour. Meek's pygmy parrot has a cap, forehead, nape, and face of mid-brown with a yellow throat and underparts. In M. m. meeki, the yellow colouring extends to the ear coverts, while in M. m. proxima, it also extends as a narrowing band of yellow horizontally above the eyes. In the latter subspecies, the face and nape are a paler brown. The remainder of the plumage is green, slightly darker on the back and wings, and paler on the belly. The beak and large feet are brown.
Taxonomy
This bird is one of seven named in honour of the English naturalist Albert Stewart Meek, who collected many previously unknown birds and insects from Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific region. Many of these are now in the Natural History Museum in London.<p>The two subspecies are M. m. meeki Rothschild & Hartert, 1914, and M. m. proxima Rothschild & Hartert, 1924.
- Scientific name
- Micropsitta meeki
- Authority
- Rothschild & Hartert, EJO, 1914
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Micropsitta
Range and habitat
Meek's pygmy parrot is known from the Admiralty Islands, a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago to the north of Papua New Guinea. It is said to be common on the islands of Lou and Manus and the population appears to be stable so it is listed as being of "Least Concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Migration
- Vertical migration
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Pyrrhura rhodocephala
Green parakeet with a long red tail, prominent white patch in wings, white eyering, and red ear patch and crown. Mostly seen in large flocks flying, eating fruits, or perching quietly in trees. Common in cloud forests and forest edges. Voice similar to related species. Similar in flight to Red-eared Parakeet but shows white wing patch and red crown, and almost no range overlap. Endemic to the Andes of Venezuela.
Northern Double-collared Sunbird
Cinnyris reichenowi
Medium-sized sunbird in which males are colorful, green and red, and females drab brownish. Males have yellow shoulder tufts that are usually hidden. Found in montane forest clearings and edge, scrub, and gardens. The call is a harsh “jeet” and the song a quick explosion of high-pitched notes. Very similar to Eastern Double-collared and Olive-bellied Sunbirds, but males separated by the purple border above the red chest band. Female hard to separate from Eastern Double-collared, but can be separated from Olive-bellied by its lack of a pale eye-stripe. Also similar to Stuhlmann’s Sunbird, but smaller overall, with a shorter tail and bill.
Taveta Golden-Weaver
Ploceus castaneiceps
Breeding male is rich yellow with darker orange patches on the breast and the rear part of the crown. The female is dark on the back and buffy yellowish below with a pale base to the bill. Both sexes show a dark eye. Breeds in and around reedbeds, but ranges into surrounding savanna and woodland. Very similar to Golden Palm Weaver, but there is no overlap in range. Also similar to Holub’s and African Golden-Weavers, but usually separated by the black eyes. Females can be confusing, but almost always associate with the more distinctive males. The calls include a dry rattling that is combined with typical weaver “radio static” in the song.
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