Birds and Birding's Guide to:

Watching THE CUCKOO-LIKE BIRDS

THE PARROTS

Bat-Parrots

Perhaps closest of kin to the last, and forming the final members of this great group, are the curious little Hanging or Bat Parrots, or Lorikeets (Loriculus), the couple of dozen species of which range from India and the Philippine Islands through the Malay Archipelago as far east as the Duke of York Island in the Bismarck Archipelago. They are quaint, pretty little birds, all under six and a half inches in length, or much smaller though of course much more bulky than many Hummingbirds, which seems quite anomalous for a Parrot. Structurally they are distinguished from all other members of the group by the bill, which is thin and longer than deep, the upper mandible especially being long and very little curved.

They are brilliant in plumage, the prevailing color being green, relieved often by dashes of scarlet, blue, and yellow, and in all the under surface of the wings and tail is verditer-blue. They take their name of Hanging Parrots from their habit of suspending themselves by the feet from a branch, in which position they habitually sleep, and even during the day, when several may sometimes be seen in this position side by side, caressing and feeding each other. As the shape of the bill indicates, these Parrots are largely flower-suckers, subsisting on honey and plant juices, but also buds and tender shoots.

The Indian Lorikeet (L. vernalis) is green, this being paler beneath and brighter on the head, with a tinge of orange between the shoulders, while the rump and upper tail-coverts are red, the throat bluish, and the upper breast tinged with yellowish. The bill is dull coral-red, the cere red, and the legs pale orange; the total length is five and a half inches. The female is similar but less brilliant green, with more of a yellowish tinge, and lacks the bluish on the throat. They are found chiefly in clearings amongst forest trees, and in gardens and groves of fruit trees, feeding on fruit and flower buds, and are said to be specially fond of the juice of the cocoanut palm. It is frequently kept as a cage bird, but is rather hard to care for properly on account of the difficulty of securing food. This species nests in holes in trees, laying from three to five eggs.

 

 

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