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 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' ...

. It is endemic to

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

(located between

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, New Zealand and

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

in the Tasman Sea).

Taxonomy

George Robert Gray described the Norfolk parakeet in 1859 as ''Platycercus Cookii'', from a specimen in William Bullock's museum, and recorded it as from New Zealand. The species name honours

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

, who reported the species on Norfolk Island when he landed there in 1774, noting it was the same as those occurring in New Zealand. In 1862, Gray described a specimen from Norfolk Island as ''Platycercus rayneri'', collected by a Mr Rayner. In 1891, Italian ornithologist Tommaso Salvadori confirmed the two taxa as

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

and coming from Norfolk Island. It was long considered a subspecies of the red-crowned parakeet of New Zealand. Ornithologists Alfred North (1893) and Graeme Phipps (1981) noted that the Norfolk parakeet was significantly larger than the red-fronted parakeet. Phipps added that further investigation was needed into their status and conservation. DNA analysis in 2001 showed that it was an early offshoot from the other parakeets in the genus ''Cyanoramphus'', with only the New Caledonian and

Chatham parakeet The Chatham parakeet (''Cyanoramphus forbesi''), also known as Forbes' parakeet, is a rare parakeet endemic to the Chatham Islands group, New Zealand. This parakeet is one of New Zealand's rarest birds and is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN ...

more divergent. "Norfolk parakeet" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). It is also known as Norfolk Island green parrot, and locally as green parrot. The name "Tasman parakeet" is used by ornithologists Les Christidis and Walter Boles on the argument that this species and the

Lord Howe red-crowned parakeet The Lord Howe parakeet (''Cyanoramphus subflavescens''), also known as the Lord Howe red-fronted parakeet, is an extinct parrot endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia. It was described as full specie ...

(''Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae subflavescens'') are probably a single species for which they use biogeographical arguments. Tasman is used for other species with the same distribution and they propose that name for that reason. However, the latter subspecies was not included in the genus-wide phylogenetic reconstruction using DNA sequences, and the lumping of the species should be considered tentative.

Distribution and habitat

Originally found throughout Norfolk Island (to which it is endemic), it vanished from much of its range until by 1908 it was restricted to forest around Mount Pitt in the northwestern corner of the Island. Its natural habitats are native rain forest, from which it ventures into surrounding plantations and orchards.

Diet

Seeds make up over half the Norfolk parakeet's diet, particularly in winter. Five species make up 85% of its diet, including the Norfolk pine ('' Araucaria heterophylla''), niau palm (''

Rhopalostylis baueri ''Rhopalostylis baueri'' is a species of palm native to Norfolk Island ( Australia) and to the Kermadec Islands (New Zealand). Norfolk Island is the type locality. The common names on Norfolk Island are 'Norfolk Island palm' or 'niau'. In New Ze ...

''), ake ake ('' Dodonaea viscosa''), as well as introduced African olive ( ''Olea europaea'' subsp. ''cuspidata'') and cherry guava (''

Psidium cattleyanum ''Psidium cattleyanum (World Plants : Psidium cattleianum)'', commonly known as Cattley guava, strawberry guava or cherry guava, is a small tree (2–6 m tall) in the Myrtaceae (myrtle) family. The species is named in honour of English hor ...

'').

Threats

Once a common species, the Norfolk parakeet had dwindled to under 50 birds by the late 1970s. Factors contributing to its decline include habitat loss, particularly of large old trees with suitable hollows for breeding, killing of eggs and young by rats and cats, shooting by early settlers, and competition for nest sites by introduced crimson rosellas and common starlings. In 1983 a captive breeding program was commenced. Although it was not successful, it sparked interest in the bird's fate in the people of Norfolk Island. Between 1987 and 2000, a concerted effort to reduce rat and cat populations by trapping, and construction of nesting boxes designed to keep out rats increased parrot numbers, with around 250 young fledged. However, numbers of Norfolk parakeets were difficult to assess and concern was raised between 2009 and 2012 that it might be declining again. A census in 2009 estimated a count of 240 birds. It is only found in

Norfolk Island National Park Norfolk Island National Park is a protected area of located at in the South Pacific Ocean, about off the East coast of Australia. The park’s area includes the Mount Pitt section on the namesake Norfolk Island with an area of / , as well a ...

and the surrounding area. Historically it would have been preyed on by the brown goshawk until this species went extinct on the island in about 1790.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1066559 Birds of Norfolk Island Cyanoramphus Endangered fauna of Australia Birds described in 1859 Taxa named by George Robert Gray Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN