The duchess lorikeet (''Charmosynoides margarethae'') is a species of

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

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 the only species placed in the genus ''Charmosynoides''. It is found throughout the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

archipelago. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...

, and

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Taxonomy

The duchess lorikeet was formally described in 1879 by the English clergyman and ornithologist

Henry Baker Tristram Henry Baker Tristram FRS (11 May 1822 – 8 March 1906) was an English clergyman, Bible scholar, traveller and ornithologist. As a parson-naturalist he was an early supporter of Darwinism, attempting to reconcile evolution and creation. Biogra ...

from a specimen collected at Makira Harbour, San Cristoval,

. Tristam coined the binomial name ''Charmosyna margarethae''. The specific epithet was chosen to honour

Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (Louise Margaret Alexandra Victoria Agnes; 25 July 1860 – 14 March 1917), later Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn VA CI RRC DStJ, was a member of the House of Hohenzollern and of the British royal fa ...

who became the Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn when she married

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

's son Prince Arthur in 1879. The lorikeet was moved to its own genus, ''Charmosynoides'', based on a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2020. The name ''Charmosynoides'' is a combination of the genus name ''Charmosyna'' with the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

''-oides'' meaning "resembling".

Description

The duchess lorikeet is 20 cm (8 in) in length, and weighs . An adult is mainly bright red, with purple to black hindcrowns and yellow-orange eyes. It has an orange

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

and a wide yellow chest band along with a thin yellow collar on the mantle bordered by a purple or black line. It has a dull mauve to black lower breast, with dull yellow underwings. Its tail are red, with green upper

tail coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are s ...

and yellow tips. Females look the same as males, but additionally have yellow patches on the side of the rump. Juvenile lorikeets have black markings on the head and underparts, along with a dusky black patch on the

occiput The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone overlies the occipital lobes of the cereb ...

. The breast band is a faint yellow and the yellow collar on the mantle has a dusky wash. They have a brown to black bill, with grey eyes.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found only on Bougainville Island and 6 islands in the

. It is a localised species that is absent from large areas of habitat in its range that are potentially suitable for it. It is most often found in lower montane forest and in coconut plantations. It is found from sea level to an elevation of asl. It may be nomadic and inhabit habitats at different altitudes.

Behavior and ecology

The calls of the duchess

lorikeet Loriini is a tribe of small to medium-sized arboreal parrots characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a monophyletic group within the ...

are generally more squeaky than that of other species of lorikeets. Their flight calls are loud and high-pitched, while high-pitched screek notes are made while feeding.

Food and feeding

The lorikeet mostly feed on nectar, pollen, and small fruits, especially ''

Schefflera ''Schefflera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae. With an estimated 600–900 species, the genus represents about half of its family. The plants are trees, shrubs or lianas, growing tall, with woody stems, the absence of a ...

''.

Threats

Much of the lowland forest in its range is scheduled to be logged, although it could survive at higher altitudes. Another threat to the species is the possibility of large scale pet trade.

In culture

It was featured on a stamp for the

made in 1975.

Status

The species is widespread and relatively common through its range, but the population may decline rapidly in the future if large scale pet trade begins. Consequently, the species is considered to be near-threatened by BirdLife International and the IUCN.

Aviculture

The species is traded in the

pet trade Wildlife trade refers to the of products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, ti ...

, but there is an export quota of 60 birds per year to avoid population decline.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1267898 duchess lorikeet Birds of the Solomon Islands duchess lorikeet Taxa named by Henry Baker Tristram Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN