Chatham Parakeet (Cyanoramphus forbesi)

Wild Chatham Parakeet
© Markanderson72 [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Photos

View in Gallery

Did You Know?

The Chatham Parakeet will readily forage on the ground on predator-free islands. It stays in the trees elsewhere.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cyanoramphus forbesi

Species Profile

Genus: Cyanoramphus | Species: forbesi

Size:

23cm (9 in)

Weight:

95g (3.3 oz)

Subspecies including nominate:

one

Colour Adult:

Both adults bright green sides of face; red frontal band not reaching to eye; green/blue outer webs of flight feathers; larger in size.

Colour Juvenile:

Not recorded.

Call:

High-pitched and weaker, but similar to, Red-fronted Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae). Repetitive ki-ki-ki-ki-ki.

More Information:

Avibase

Content Sources:

CITES
Birdlife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998.
Vanished and Vanishing Parrots, Forshaw, 2017.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006. 2010 edition

Wild Chatham Parakeet
© Markanderson72 [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Photos

View in Gallery

Did You Know?

The Chatham Parakeet will readily forage on the ground on predator-free islands. It stays in the trees elsewhere.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cyanoramphus forbesi

Species Care

Captive Status:

Unknown

Longevity:

Probably as in C. auriceps: 10 yrs.

Housing:

Probably as in C. auriceps: Walk-in enclosure, minimum length 3m (9.8 ft).

Diet:

Probably as in C. auriceps: Small seed mix such as: millet, canary, and smaller amounts of oats, buckwheat, safflower and a little hemp; limited sunflower seed; spray millet; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, dandelion, sowthistle, chickweed; seeding grasses; rearing food made from: hardboiled egg, wholegrain bread and carrot, all ground to crumbly consistency; fruit may be offered; complete kibble.

Enrichment:

Probably as in C. auriceps: Provide seeding grasses for foraging; also bird-safe, unsprayed flowering, pine, fir, willow and elder branches. Provide shallow water bowls or overhead misters for bathing.

Nest Box Size:

Probably as in C. auriceps: Vertical box 8" x 8" x 14" (20.3cm x 20.3cm x 35.5cm).

Clutch Size:

Probably as in C. auriceps: 5-10

Incubation Time:

Probably as in C. auriceps: 19 days

Fledging Age:

Probably as in C. auriceps: 5-6 weeks

Hatch Weight:

Not recorded.

Peak Weight:

Not recorded.

Weaning Weight:

Not recorded.

Wild Chatham Parakeet
© Markanderson72 [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Photos

View in Gallery

Did You Know?

The Chatham Parakeet will readily forage on the ground on predator-free islands. It stays in the trees elsewhere.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cyanoramphus forbesi

Species Wild Status

World Population:

800-1000

IUCN Red List Status:

Vulnerable

CITES Listing:

Appendix I

Threat Summary:

Endangered by the clearance of forest, introduced predators and hybridisation with C. n. chathamensis. Wild population is beginning to recover thanks to predator control and habitat management.

Range:

Restricted to Little Mangere and Mangere Islands in the Chatham Island group, New Zealand.

Habitat:

Confined to remnant tracts of native vegetation with a preference for mixed, unbroken Nothofagus-Podocarpus forest.

Wild Diet:

Consists of vegetable matter including leaves, buds, flowers and seeds, plus invertebrates such as caterpillars and scale insects.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Occurs in mixed flocks with Red-fronted Parakeets (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae), found usually in mid-to-upper canopy. Will forage on the ground on predator-free islands, but wary when doing so. Birds nest in natural crevices or hollows in dead or living trees, or burrows in the ground.

Clutch and Egg Size:

5-9, 25.4 x 21.6mm

Breeding Season:

October-March; nest is in hollow limbs or trunks, often dead or decaying stumps.

Photos

View in Gallery

Did You Know?

The Chatham Parakeet will readily forage on the ground on predator-free islands. It stays in the trees elsewhere.

Academic Research

Related publications: Cyanoramphus forbesi

Members Only Resources

Please log-in now to find more research, resources and tools.

Not a Member?

Find more great information:

Gain exclusive access to 600+ pages of additional research, seminars and podcasts, specialists to ask your toughest questions, and dozens of other fun resources - when you become a WPT member.
Join Today >>