Duchess Lorikeet
Also known as:
Margaret's Lorikeet, Princess Margaret's Lorikeet
Also known as:
Margaret's Lorikeet, Princess Margaret's Lorikeet
Size:
20 cm (7.8 in)
Weight:
40-60 g (1.4-2.1 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
one
Colour Adult:
Male– mainly bright red; purple/black hindcrown to occiput; olive/green rump and upper tail coverts; wide yellow band across chest; thin yellow collar on mantle bordered above by purple/black line; dull mauve/black lower breast; underwing band dull yellow; red tail tipped with yellow. Beak orange. Eye yellow/orange. Female– as in male but with yellow patches on sides of rump.
Colour Juvenile:
Breast band yellow and faint; yellow collar on mantle with dusky wash; red hindcrown to occiput washed with dusky black; black markings on feathers of head and underparts. Beak brown/black. Eye pale grey.
Call:
Calls made in flight are loud and high-pitched; high-pitched screek notes given while feeding. In general more squeaky than other lorikeets.
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, 2006. 2010 edition
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Captive Status:
Not usually found in aviculture.
Longevity:
—
Housing:
Flight 2 x 1 x 2 m (6.5 x 3.3 x 6.5 ft) with plantings, minimum temperature 25 C (77 F).
Diet:
Nectar made from porridge, honey, pollen, vitamin, yeast and multivitamin supplements; also dry feed of oatmeal, dextrose, pollen, calcium powder and calcium phosphate; fruits such as: apple, pear, banana, mango, guava, and commercial lory food.
Enrichment:
—
Nest Box Size:
—
Clutch Size:
Not recorded.
Fledging Age:
—
Hatch Weight:
—
Peak Weight:
—
Weaning Weight:
—
World Population:
Unknown but described as generally local and uncommon, decreasing.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
A BirdLife ‘restricted-range’ species. Is described as widespread, although rare on Santa Isabel island in the Solomon Islands. May be threatened should any large-scale international trade begin. Remote sensing data indicate that in the three generations to 2021, forest loss in this species’ range is 5-6%. The species is more common at higher elevations and occurs in secondary forest and plantations, however, the rate of deforestation does not take into account logging and other degradation, which may be driving declines. The cage-bird trade could threaten populations, although the severity of this threat is unclear.
Range:
Bougainville, E Papua New Guinea, and Gizo, Kolombangara, Guadalcanal, Santa Isabel, Malaita, and San Cristobal, Solomon Islands.
Habitat:
Found from 100-1350 m (328-4428 ft) in forest and woodland, forest edge and tall secondary growth, mainly in mountains and hills, and occasionally in coastal coconut plantations and villages.
Wild Diet:
Feeds on pollen, nectar and soft fruits, in particular Schefflera.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Feeds in noisy groups of 10-40 individuals in flowering trees and epiphytes, mixing with other species of lories. When resting or in smaller groups fairly quiet and inconspicuous.
Clutch and Egg Size:
Not recorded.
Breeding Season:
January
Related Links:
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