Pohnpei Lorikeet

Trichoglossus rubiginosus

Content

24 cm.. length and a weight between 70 and 85 gr.

The Pohnpei Lorikeet (Trichoglossus rubiginosus) is unmistakable.

The head and back, dark brown, darker in the head. Scapulars and blankets, are of color Bordeaux dark. The flight feather are blackish in those networks internal and infiltrated with color olivaceous in them vane outer.

The primaries more external are clearly yellow. The bottom of the wings black. The underparts Deep Garnet color, with a black edge in the bottom sides of the edges that draw a bar at the bottom.

The upper part of the tail color is olivaceous, brighter in the vicinity of the tip; lower tail is of color yellow pale. The bill is orange. The irises are yellow-orange, the legs and feet are dark gray.

In the female, the bill seems more yellowish and the irises are greyish white.

In the youth, the feathers seem sharper.

• Sound of the Pohnpei Lorikeet.

This species is present on the entire surface of the island, until 600 m. It is distributed by a variety of habitats, such as coconut trees, plane trees, dense tropical forests, plots regenerated, forests and mangroves.

The Pohnpei Lorikeet is a bird especially loud, He throws her screams from the roosts after dark. It is fairly easy to detect, Since it wanders in small flocks of February to December in search of food in trees in flower.

It tends to fly high and travel long distances over the ocean.

When fed into the forests of tall trees, usually favors the average vegetation floor.

As the Ponape island receives a large amount of precipitation (until 7600 mm. per year in some places), the Pohnpei Lorikeet seek refuge under the large leaves.

The Pohnpei Lorikeet It builds its nest on top of a coconut tree or in any cavity of a tree from the forest.
The spawning usually consists of an only egg.
The nesting season generally goes from December to may.

Consumes nectar, pollen and fruit. While feeding, It tends to keep its head down to pick up their food in the flowers of coconut and banana.
The nectar of Erythrina and the mango is very appreciated by the Pohnpei Lorikeet.

Size of the area of distribution (reproduction / resident): 350 km2

As its name implies, lori this is endemic of the Ponape island, which is the most populated island of the States federate of Micronesia. Formerly, also lived on the atoll of Namoluk about the island of Truk.

It is possible that range was more extensive than it is today.

– Current IUCN Red List category: Near threatened

– The population trend: Decreasing

This species is listed as near-threatened because it is suspected that their population, which is mostly a subpopulation, It is in decline due to changes in land use. It also has a very small range; But, is unlikely that it is declining, in terms of population, given the adaptability of the species. Neither population is severely fragmented or restricted to a few locations.

Surveys in 1994 suggested that the species had declined a 74-75% Since the beginning of the eighties, probably indicating a decrease in real (Buden 2000). The current population exceeds the 10.000 specimens (Juniper and Parr 1998, M. O'Brien a little. 2011).

In the news, It is the official bird of the State of Pohnpei and your hunting, capture and export is illegal.

Is usually not kept out of the Pohnpei island.

– Pohnpei Lorikeet, Pohnpei Lory, Ponape Lorikeet, Ponape Lory, Ponapé lory, Red Lory (ingles).
– Loriquet de Panapé, Loriquet de Ponapé (French).
– Kirschlori (German).
– Loris rubiginosus (Portuguese).
– Lori de Ponapé, Tricogloso de Ponapé (español).

– Order: Psittaciformes
– Family: Psittaculidae
– Genus: Trichoglossus
– Scientific name: Trichoglossus rubiginosus
– Citation: (Bonaparte, 1850)
– Protonimo: Chalcopsitta rubiginosa

“Pohnpei Lorikeet” (Trichoglossus rubiginosus)

Sources:

– Avibase
– BirdLife.org
– Parrots of the World – Joseph Forshaw M
– Parrots-A Guide to the Parrots of the World by Tony Juniper & Mike Parr

– Photos: By Peter – Flickr

– Sounds: Mark O’Brien (Xeno-canto)