The Antipodes parakeet or Antipodes Island parakeet (''Cyanoramphus unicolor'') is a parrot in the family

Psittaculidae Psittaculidae is a family containing Old World parrots. It consists of five subfamilies: Agapornithinae, Loriinae, Platycercinae, Psittacellinae and Psittaculinae. This family has been accepted into ''The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World' ...

that is endemic to the

Antipodes Islands The Antipodes Islands ( Maōri: Moutere Mahue; "Abandoned island") are inhospitable and uninhabited volcanic islands in subantarctic waters to the south of – and territorially part of – New Zealand. The 21 km2 archipelago lies 860 ...

of New Zealand. It is one of two parrot species found on the islands, and one of only five ground-dwelling parrots in the world. They are long-living birds that may live up to 10 years of age, but the introduction of mice that compete with them for food is a threat to their survival on the Antipodes Islands. Unusually for parrots, they sometimes prey upon other birds, a trait shared by another New Zealand parrot, the

kea The kea (; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the family Nestoridae found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green with a brilliant orange under its wing ...

Taxonomy

The Antipodes parakeet was depicted in 1831 by the English artist

Edward Lear Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limerick (poetry), limericks, a form he popularised. ...

in his ''

Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots ''Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots'' is an 1832 book containing 42 hand-coloured lithographs by Edward Lear. He produced 175 copies for sale to subscribers as a part-publication, which were later bound as a book. Lear star ...

''. Lear used the common name "Uniform parakeet" and coined the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Platycercus unicolor''. The species is now placed in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Cyanoramphus ''Cyanoramphus'' is a genus of parakeets native to New Zealand and islands of the southern Pacific Ocean. The New Zealand forms are often referred to as kākāriki. They are small to medium-sized parakeets with long tails and predominantly gree ...

'' that was introduced in 1854 by the French ornithologist

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857), was a French naturalist and ornithologist. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal Lucien Bonaparte. Life and career ...

. Its closest relative is Reischek's parakeet, which also lives on the Antipodes Islands. Other relatives include the

Norfolk parakeet The Norfolk parakeet (''Cyanoramphus cookii''), also called Tasman parakeet, Norfolk Island green parrot or Norfolk Island red-crowned parakeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Norfolk Island (located between ...

Society parakeet The Raiatea parakeet or Society parakeet (''Cyanoramphus ulietanus''), also known as the Society kakariki or brown-headed parakeet, is an extinct parakeet of the genus ''Cyanoramphus''. Description The Raiatea parakeet averaged 25 cm (9.7 ...

and Chatham parakeet.

Description

It is the largest species in the

'' at 30 cm (12 in) long. and makes a penetrating ''kok-kok-kok-kok'' noise. Cyanoramphus unicolor -Platycercus unicolor Uniform Parrakeet -by Edward Lear 1812-1888

Cyanoramphus unicolor -Platycercus unicolor Uniform Parrakeet -by Edward Lear 1812-1888

Distribution and habitat

The Antipodes parakeet is endemic to the

of New Zealand. They are common on the main Antipodes Island, but are less common on smaller islands in the group such as

Bollons Island Bollons Island () is a small island in New Zealand's subantarctic Antipodes Islands group. It is the second largest island in the group behind Antipodes Island. Geography The island is roughly crescent-shaped, and has an area of . It lies to the ...

. They live in very small numbers on Leeward Island, where they only live in a 0.1 square kilometre region of the island. The Antipodes parakeet also live on the 0.1 square kilometre Archway Island as well.

Behaviour and ecology

These parakeets eat leaves, buds, grass, and tussock stalks, as well as sometimes feeding on seeds, flowers, and will scavenge dead

seabirds Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adaptation, adapted to life within the marine (ocean), marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent ev ...

. The Antipodes parakeet also

preys Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

grey-backed storm petrel The grey-backed storm petrel (''Garrodia nereis'') is a species of seabird in the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Garrodia''. It is found in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Falkland Islands, ...

s, entering burrows to kill incubating adults, even digging at the entrance if it is too small. Antipodes parakeets spend much of their time on the ground and in very small groups, in pairs or solitary. They are quite inquisitive, territorial, probing and mischievous. Their nest is in a tunnel 2 metres beneath the fibrous peat away from the wind.TerraNature , New Zealand ecology - Antipodes Island parakeet (''Cyanoramphus unicolor'') http://terranature.org/parakeetantipodes.htm

Status

The population is stable but conservation status is Vulnerable. The population is 2,000-3,000. Originally entirely restricted to the islands that bear their name there is now a small captive population, founded with less than 20 individuals, on the mainland.

References

External links

World Parrot Trust
Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profile

*ARKive
images and movies of the Antipodes Parakeet ''(Cyanoramphus unicolor)''
TerraNature , New Zealand ecology {{Authority control

Antipodes parakeet The Antipodes parakeet or Antipodes Island parakeet (''Cyanoramphus unicolor'') is a parrot in the family Psittaculidae that is endemic to the Antipodes Islands of New Zealand. It is one of two parrot species found on the islands, and one of only ...

Birds of the Antipodes Islands Endemic birds of New Zealand Parrots of Oceania

Taxa named by Edward Lear