Orange-billed lorikeet

Appearance

The orange-billed lorikeet is a small species of lorikeet, with a length of around 18 cm and a weight of 25–40 g. Adults are mainly dark emerald green, with red underparts and narrow yellow streaking on the cheeks. The flanks and wings are also emerald green; the underside of the tail is a duller green, with a red patch at the base. The underwing is bright red and is especially prominent in flight. The iris and beak are orange, with a yellow tip to the latter, and the feet are dark grey. Immatures are duller in color, with less red on their underparts and an orangish-brown bill. Fledglings have yellow beaks, which turn orange at around 6 months of age.

Other than the yellow-billed lorikeet, no other parrot in the species' range has a similar coloration. Compared with the yellow-billed lorikeet, it is smaller in size, has more richly coloured plumage, and has a smaller, orange bill. Additionally, it can also be distinguished by its flanks and wings being the same shade of green, the underside of the tail being dull green with red at the base, and the lack of an olive tint to the top of its head.

Distribution

The orange-billed lorikeet is endemic to the island of New Guinea. It inhabits forest canopy, forest edges, and cleared areas bordering forests at high elevations in mountains in the Central Range and the Huon Peninsula, but is absent from the Bird's Head Peninsula. It prefers cloud forest at elevations of 2,100–3,800 m, but has been recorded at elevations as low as 800 m. Vagrancy at lower elevations suggests that the species may sporadically migrate altitudinally; "Neopsittacus" is one of only five genera in the order Psittaciformes to evolve to be nomadic. At lower elevations, it often inhabits the same areas as the yellow-billed lorikeet.

Status

The species is listed as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and lack of severe declines in its population. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES. It is common throughout most of its range and is not particularly threatened by habitat loss or the wildlife trade.

Behavior

Orange-billed lorikeets are typically found in small flocks. They feed on pollen, nectar, flowers, fruits, and, uncommonly, seeds. Plants it is known to feed upon include the seed cones of "Papuacedrus papuana" and the berries of "Sericolea pullei". It is more nectarivorous than the yellow-billed lorikeet. They sometimes forage together with yellow-billed lorikeets at fruiting trees, but are rarely found with other species. Its breeding season is in October. It nests in hollows in tall trees, where it lays clutches of 2 eggs. The orange-billed lorikeet is parasitised by a variety of insects, including the rhinonyssid mites "Mesonyssus alisteri" and "Tinaminyssus" "trichoglossi", the philopterid chewing louse "Psittaconirmus zinki", and the menoponid chewing louse "Eomenopon semilunare".

Habitat

The orange-billed lorikeet is endemic to the island of New Guinea. It inhabits forest canopy, forest edges, and cleared areas bordering forests at high elevations in mountains in the Central Range and the Huon Peninsula, but is absent from the Bird's Head Peninsula. It prefers cloud forest at elevations of 2,100–3,800 m, but has been recorded at elevations as low as 800 m. Vagrancy at lower elevations suggests that the species may sporadically migrate altitudinally; "Neopsittacus" is one of only five genera in the order Psittaciformes to evolve to be nomadic. At lower elevations, it often inhabits the same areas as the yellow-billed lorikeet.