Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot |
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Also known as: Mountain Pygmy Parrot, Red-headed Pygmy Parrot, Bruijn's Pygmy Parrot
Wild Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot, nominate
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
Unlike other pygmy parrots the Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot nests in cavities of dead snags, not arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).Academic Research
Related publications: Micropsitta bruijniiSpecies Profile
Genus: Micropsitta | Species: bruijnii
Size:
9cm (3.5 in)
Weight:
12-16g (0.4-0.6 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
four: M.b. bruijnii, M.b. pileata, M.b. necopinata, M.b. rosea
Colour Adult:
M.b. bruijnii: Male-mostly green in colour; buff/red to brown/orange crown; deep blue nape and hindneck; line extending from nape to area behind eye and from hindneck as collar around to lower throat; blue on sides of breast, reaching to meet collar on neck; buff/orange throat and cheeks to ear coverts; pale red centre of underparts; blue central tail feathers; lateral tail feathers blue/black. Bill horn in colour with grey at base. Cere and eye ring pink. Eye brown. Female-in general green, red markings absent; dark blue crown; pale off-white forehead and cheeks; blue on sides of breast, nape and hindneck absent. Cere and eye ring grey.
M.b. pileata: Male-brown/red on crown deeper and reaching farther down nape; narrow, blue nuchal collar. Female-undescribed.
M.b. necopinata: Male-deep brown crown, turning to pale yellow/brown in centre; red/orange cheeks, throat and centre of breast to abdomen; yellow undertail coverts. Female-as in bruijnii, but more purple/blue crown.
M.b. rosea: Male-bright red/pink crown; pinker and brighter cheeks and throat. Female-as in bruijnii.
Colour Juvenile:
M.b. bruijnii: As in adult female, but with white forehead and lores; some orange/red on underparts of males.
Call:
Calls are described as high-pitched short notes or series of short notes; some notes also shrill and penetrating.
Listen NowMore 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
ML Media Collection Catalogue 65912, Red- breasted Pygmy Parrot Micropsitta bruinjii, Connop, Scott, Papua New Guinea, Oct. 8 1993, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Site
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1989.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Wild Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot, nominate
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
Unlike other pygmy parrots the Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot nests in cavities of dead snags, not arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).Academic Research
Related publications: Micropsitta bruijniiSpecies Care
Captive Status:
Not found in captivity; difficult to keep alive for more than a few hours or days.
Longevity:
Not recorded.
Housing:
Not recorded.
Diet:
Not recorded.
Enrichment:
Not recorded.
Nest Box Size:
Not recorded.
Clutch Size:
4
Incubation Time:
Not recorded.
Fledging Age:
Not recorded.
Hatch Weight:
Not recorded.
Peak Weight:
Not recorded.
Weaning Weight:
Not recorded.
Wild Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot, nominate
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
Unlike other pygmy parrots the Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot nests in cavities of dead snags, not arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).Academic Research
Related publications: Micropsitta bruijniiSpecies Wild Status
World Population:
Unknown, stable.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened. Considered uncommon to rare on Seram and Buru, but may be easily overlooked. Widespread but local in New Guinea; undescribed form at Ok Tedi appears to be common. Common locally in Bismarck Archipelago.
Range:
M.b. bruijnii: Mountains of New Guinea from Vogelkop, Irian Jaya east to Owen Stanley Range, E Papua New Guinea. May be undescribed subspecies in Ok Tedi River Region, W Papua New Guinea.
M.b. pileata: Mountains of Seram and Buru, S Moluccas, Indonesia.
M.b. necopinata: New Britain and New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago.
M.b. rosea: Bougainville Island, E Papua New Guinea, and Kolombangara and Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
Habitat:
Found from 1000-2300m (3280-7544 ft) in primary and secondary montane forest, along forest margins and in Albizia shade trees in coffee plantations.
Wild Diet:
Forages for fungi and lichens from undersides of branches; also fruits and flowers, possibly Schefflera.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Keeps to mid and upper canopy. Favours dead trees in which to find fungi and lichens. Seen in pairs or groups of up to 20 individuals.
Clutch and Egg Size:
4 rounded eggs, 17.5 x 14.0mm (0.7 x 0.5 in).
Breeding Season:
December-April; nest is cavity in tree stump.
Related Links:
Wild Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot, nominate
© Nik Borrow [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
Unlike other pygmy parrots the Red-breasted Pygmy Parrot nests in cavities of dead snags, not arboreal termitaria (termite mounds in trees).Academic Research
Related publications: Micropsitta bruijniiMembers Only Resources
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