Orange-breasted Fig Parrot |
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Also known as: William's Fig Parrot, King of Holland's Fig Parrot
Wild Orange-breasted Fig Parrot
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The small fig parrots of the genus (group) Cyclopsitta are also called lorilets.Academic Research
Related publications: Cyclopsitta gulielmitertiiSpecies Profile
Genus: Cyclopsitta | Species: gulielmitertii
Size:
13cm (5.1 in)
Weight:
28-35g (1-1.2 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
seven: C.g. gulielmitertii, C.g. nigrifrons, C.g. ramuensis, C.g. amabilis, C.g. suavissima, C.g. fuscifrons, C.g. melanogenia
Colour Adult:
C.g. gulielmitertii: Male-deep blue forehead and forecrown to area behind eyes; pale yellow lores, throat, and sides of head; black mark on back of cheek; breast and upper abdomen orange; inner wing coverts edged with yellow; wide pale yellow bands on underwings. Bill grey/black. Eye dark brown. Female-as in male but pale yellow at front of cheeks and black at back; forecheeks bordered below by green/blue stripe; ear coverts to sides of neck orange; green underparts.
C.g. nigrifrons: Both adults as in gulielmitertii, but forehead and forecrown to area behind eyes black.
C.g. ramuensis: Both adults as in amabilis, but forehead and forecrown to area behind eyes washed blue and black.
C.g. amabilis: Male-forehead and crown to area below eyes black; pale yellow upper abdomen, breast, and sides of head; black on ear coverts absent; smaller in size. Female-breast to upper abdomen orange; lower cheeks dusty black, joining black crown behind eyes; lores, throat and cheeks pale yellow.
C.g. suavissima: Male-dark blue forehead and forecrown to area behind eyes; lores, front of cheeks and line beneath eye buff/white, rest of cheeks black; pale yellow ear coverts to throat; orange breast and upper abdomen; smaller in size. Female-as in male but back part of cheeks dusty black washed with blue; orange ear coverts; throat and breast dull green/yellow.
C.g. fuscifrons: Male-as in suavissima, but back area of cheeks and forehead to behind eyes brown/black. Female-as in suavissima but back of cheeks and forehead to behind eyes brown/black.
C.g. melanogenia: Both adults as in fuscifrons, but female has paler, more green breast.
Colour Juvenile:
C.g. gulielmitertii: As in female but orange from ear coverts and sides of neck to area below front of cheeks; breast of males washed with orange/brown.
C.g. nigrifrons: As in adults.
C.g. ramuensis: As in adults.
C.g. amabilis: As in adult female but breast more green.
C.g. suavissima: As in adult female but duller head markings.
C.g. fuscifrons: As in adult female.
C.g. melanogenia: As in adults.
Call:
Calls in flight shrill and penetrating notes repeated at short pauses. Some sounds sharp. Also subdued chattering while feeding.
Listen NowVideo Links:
Video 1More 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
xeno-canto Orange-breasted Fig Parrot, Lambert, Frank, XC38296
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006. 2010 edition
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Guide to Incubation and Handraising Parrots, Digney, 1998.
Article "The Orange-breasted Fig Parrot", by Peter Odekerken, Australian Birdkeeper, Oct-Nov 2005
Wild Orange-breasted Fig Parrot
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The small fig parrots of the genus (group) Cyclopsitta are also called lorilets.Academic Research
Related publications: Cyclopsitta gulielmitertiiSpecies Care
Captive Status:
Rare
Longevity:
Not recorded.
Housing:
Walk-in enclosure, minimum length 2.1m (7 ft). Planted if possible.
Diet:
Dried soaked figs (soak in water a few hours), two or more per bird per day; once daily, a drop of Konakion (Roche) or other vitamin K additive; fruit such as: apple, pear, orange, banana, pomegranate, forming at least 50 percent of diet; soaked sultanas; berries such as: elder, mountain ash, pyracantha; spray millet; small seed mixture such as: canary, oats safflower, limited sunflower; cooked beans and pulses; rearing food: hard-boiled egg, wholegrain bread and carrot, all ground to crumbly consistency. Complete pellet, if taken. Breeding diet: some pairs consume mealworms mainly for first 3 weeks of chicks' lives, also well-cleaned maggots or proprietary insectivorous food. Withhold seed for first 3 weeks of chicks' lives.
Enrichment:
Provide planted aviary. Also provide lots of bird-safe branches and browse for the parrots to chew on. Bathing areas are enjoyed.
Nest Box Size:
Nest log 4" (10.1cm) wide x 10" (25.4cm) high.
Clutch Size:
2
Incubation Time:
18-21 days
Fledging Age:
5.5-7.5 weeks
Hatch Weight:
Not recorded, but probably similar to that of Red-browed Fig Parrot at 3.0-3.5g (0.1-0.12 oz)
Peak Weight:
Not recorded, but probably similar to that of Red-browed Fig Parrot at 36.5g (1.3 oz)
Weaning Weight:
Not recorded, but probably similar to that of Red-browed Fig Parrot at 32.0-35.0g (1.1-1.2 oz)
Wild Orange-breasted Fig Parrot
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The small fig parrots of the genus (group) Cyclopsitta are also called lorilets.Academic Research
Related publications: Cyclopsitta gulielmitertiiSpecies Wild Status
World Population:
Possibly 100,000 breeding pairs (1990s).
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened.
Range:
C.g. gulielmitertii: Salawati, W Papuan Islands, and nearby western regions of Vogelkop Peninsula, Irian Jaya.
C.g. nigrifrons: N New Guinea between Mamberamo and Sepik Rivers.
C.g. ramuensis: Ramu River district, N Papua New Guinea; thought to be interbreed between nigrifrons and amabilis, thus probably not a valid race.
C.g. amabilis: NE Papua New Guinea from Huon Peninsula to Milne Bay.
C.g. suavissima: SE Papua New Guinea west to Gulf of Papua.
C.g. fuscifrons: S New Guinea between Mimika and Fly Rivers.
C.g. melanogenia: Aru Islands, Indonesia.
Habitat:
Found in rainforest, swamp forest, Melaleuca woodland, dense savanna and partly cleared areas up to 1100m (3608 ft), mostly below 500m (1640 ft).
Wild Diet:
Diet includes seeds of Ficus figs, Glochidion and Acacia auriculaeformis, as well as whole small fruits, nectar from flowers and occasionally insects.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Found in small active groups of 6-10 individuals, either flying above the forest calling or grouping together to forage for figs or other fruits in the canopy. Birds feed quietly and are difficult to detect as they clamber around. May signal their presence by hanging upside down while feeding, dropping fruit as they do so.
Clutch and Egg Size:
2 eggs
Breeding Season:
December-June; nest is in arboreal termitarium or sometimes an epiphyte.
Related Links:
Wild Orange-breasted Fig Parrot
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The small fig parrots of the genus (group) Cyclopsitta are also called lorilets.Academic Research
Related publications: Cyclopsitta gulielmitertiiMembers Only Resources
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