Moluccan Red-flanked Lorikeet
Charmosyna placentis intensior
CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Psittaciformes
FAMILY: Loridae
SIZE:
6.75 inches in height
RANGE:
The Moluccas, Kai and Aru Islands, through New Guinea and adjacent islands to Bismark Archipelago and Bougainville Island in the Solomon.
HABITAT:
DIET:
Wild - Pollen, nectar and soft fruits
Zoo - Nectar of apple juice, honey, seeds fruit
DESCRIPTION:
- Male -- general plumage green, yellowish on under parts; forehead and forecrown greenish-yellow; dark blue patch on rump; lores (area between eye and base of bill), cheeks and upper throat dull red; ear coverts violet blue; flanks and sides of breast red; yellow beneath tail yellow, lateral feathers marked with red and black; bill red; iris yellow or orange; legs orange.
- Female -- forehead and forecrown green; red makings replaced by green; ear coverts dull bluish black streaked with yellow
- Immatures -- like females, but males have some red on lores, greenish yellow on forehead
FACTS:
- Small size and green coloration make it inconspicuous, so it may be more common than otherwise
- Small flocks can be seen feeding in flowering or fling from one tree to the next; flight is swift and direct
- In flight voice is shrill screech, while feeding it is more a shrill chattering
YOUNG:
2 - 3 eggs laid in fall and winter, little is known of the nesting habits
STATUS:
CITES App.II; common; not heavily collected for the pet trade as it does not do well in captivity
REFERENCE:
Parrots of the World, Joseph M. Forshaw, 1973
