Buff-faced Pygmy Parrot
Also known as:
Blue-crowned Pygmy Parrot, Little Pygmy Parrot
Also known as:
Blue-crowned Pygmy Parrot, Little Pygmy Parrot
Size:
8.4 cm (3.2 in)
Weight:
10-15 g (0.35-0.5 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
four: M.p. pusio, M.p. beccarii, M.p. harterti, M.p. stresemanni
Colour Adult:
M.p. pusio: Both adults forehead and sides of head buff/brown, paler in female; centre of crown and occiput dark blue, less noticeable in female; underwing coverts yellow/brown; undertail coverts yellow; centre tail feathers dark blue, the feathers on the side blue/black. Beak grey. Eye brown.
M.p. beccarii: Both adults in general darker in colour; forehead and sides of head darker brown.
M.p. harterti: Both adults less yellow on underparts; blue suffusion on throat; head markings duller.
M.p. stresemanni: Both adults as in harteri, but more yellow underparts; slightly larger.
Colour Juvenile:
M.p. pusio: As in adults but crown and occiput green; brown on sides of head duller. Beak pale yellow tipped with grey/brown.
M.p. beccarii: As in adults.
M.p. harterti: As in adults.
M.p. stresemanni: As in adults.
Call:
While in flight a continuous ssii…ssii or high-pitched tseet-tseet. Alarm call a repetitious note szeeei…szeeei. Silent while feeding, with occasional contact calls to others.
More Information:
Content Sources:
CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977. 2010 edition
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Captive Status:
Not found in captivity.
Longevity:
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Housing:
—
Diet:
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Enrichment:
—
Nest Box Size:
—
Clutch Size:
3
Fledging Age:
—
Hatch Weight:
—
Peak Weight:
—
Weaning Weight:
—
World Population:
Unknown but reported as very uncommon and local in places. Decreasing.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened. Very uncommon or local on Sepik River, but common in Owen Stanley Range foothills, SE Papua New Guinea, Bismarcks and Bagabag. This species is considered to have a medium dependency on forest habitat, and tree cover is estimated to have declined by 3.3% within its mapped range over the past 10 years. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, it is tentatively suspected that this may have led to a 1-19% decline in its population.
Range:
M.p. pusio: Bismarck Archipelago, east to Duke of York Island, and SE New Guinea, west-north to Astrolabe Bay and south to Purari River and Lake Kutubu, C Papua New Guinea.
M.p. beccarii: N New Guinea, from west coast of Geelvink Bay, West Papua, east to Astrolabe Bay.
M.p. harterti: Fergusson Island, in D’Entrecasteaux Archipelago, E Papua New Guinea.
M.p. stresemanni: Misima and Tagula Islands, in Louisiade Archipelago, E Papua New Guinea.
Habitat:
Found up to 900 m (2952 ft) in lowland forest, hill forest, gallery forest and secondary growth areas. Also found locally in heavy savanna and coconut groves.
Wild Diet:
Feeds on lichen and fungi from bark, small seeds, fruit and insects.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Are seen in pairs or groups of up to 30 individuals, moving quickly up and down from lower to middle storeys of the canopy. Roosts communally.
Clutch and Egg Size:
3 rounded eggs, 16.5 x 13.5 mm (0.6 x 0.5 in)
Breeding Season:
September-May. Nest is in arboreal termitarium.
Related Links:
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