Hello! We are the very attractive, playful and lovely Chattering Lori. We are found only in few islands of Indonesia and are very rare birds. You can know about some interesting facts about us below:
- We are well known for our playfulness. We are species that love water bathing and playing in the water.
- We have specialized tongues that help us feed on nectar. Our tongues have hair-like structures called papillae which form U shape that help us suck the nectar out of flowers easily. This is the reason we are also called as Brush-tongued Parrots.
- We also have a unique shaped beaks. The upper beak is longer than other parrots with a pointed tip which helps us reach seeds and vegetation easily.
- We live in large groups and travel a lot. We travel at least 48km a day to find food.
- We search at least 650 flowers for nectar a day.
- Our rarity is our curse! We are extremely exploited for pet trade which declined our population. Many conservation efforts have been put up by the Indonesian Government.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT US:
Our Scientific Name: Lorius garrulus.
Identification: Red parrots with red bill and green wings. Our Habitat: rainforests and montane forests.
Our Range:
Food Habits: Herbivorous; feed mainly on fruits, seeds, buds, grains, pollen and nectar.
Breeding Period: All around the year.
Number of eggs laid: 2-3 eggs.
Incubation period: 24-25 days.
Lifespan: 28-32 years.
IUCN red list status: Endangered.
CITES: Appendix II.
Indian Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule IV.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Genus: Lorius
Species: L. garrulus
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
We are also called as Chattering Lori. We are found only in North Maluku of Indonesia.
Chattering Lorekeet are scientifically called as Lorius garrulus.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are medium sized parrots with a body length of about 30cm and weighing 190gms- 225gms. We are mostly red colored birds with multiple colored wings. Our wings are red in color initially and have several shades of green ending with dark green tip. Our tail is red in color with a dark green tip.
We have dark grey to blackish-grey colored feet. Our beaks are red with orangish-yellow tip. We have a yellow patch on our backs and can be seen distinctively when we spread our wings.
Males and females of our species look alike. Males are slightly larger than females. Young ones of our species look similar to adults but have slightly pale feathers.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We are species that prefer living in rainforests and montane forests. We are only found in Maluku islands of Indonesia and depending on the islands there, we are available in 3 subspecies.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are herbivorous birds. We mainly feed on fruits, seeds, buds, grains, pollen and nectar. We are experts in sucking out nectar from the flowers. We have small hair-like things called papillae on our tongue which make a U shape when we extend our tongue.
This helps in sucking our nectar very easily. We are also called Brush-tongue parrot for this reason.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are monogamous birds meaning having a single mate in a lifetime and live in large groups. The huge group moves as per the availability of food. Males attract females by a courtship dance hopping around the female and dazzling her with bright yellow coverts.
The nest is built on tree hollows by the pair and wood dust and leaves are used to construct the nest. The female lays 2-3 eggs at a time and the incubation period s 24-25 days.
The young chicks leave the nest after 10 weeks when they learn how to fly from parents. Both the parents feed and take care of the young. The young reach sexual maturity at about 3.5 years of age. Our lifespan is 28-32 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are highly social and very colorful birds. Making us one of the most demanded pets. Though it is illegal in several parts of the world.
We are very playful, and we enjoy water sports.
Though we don’t talk much, we have ability to mimic surrounding voices.
OUR CONSERVATION:
Our availability being is very small range makes us very rare species. And, our beauty attracts many pet loving people leading to extreme exploitation of us for pet trade by locals. Many efforts are put by Indonesian government to control this act and make our populations stable. One can see they are successful in it.
We are listed as “Endangered” species in the red list of IUCN, listed in CITES Appendix II. In India, we are protected under Schedule IV of Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Our estimated global population is 31,000-2,20,000.
Pic Credit: petguide.com
