''Eos'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 ...

s belonging to the

lories and lorikeets 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 ...

tribe of 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' ...

. There are six species which are all

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

to islands of eastern

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, most within very restricted ranges. They have predominantly red plumage with blue, purple or black markings. Males and females are similar in appearance. Their

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 include forest, coconut plantations and

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

s. They gather in flowering trees to feed on nectar and pollen with their brush-tipped tongues. Fruit and insects are also eaten. They make nests in

tree hollow A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. They are found mainly in old trees, whether living or not. Hollows form in many species of trees, and are a prominent feature of nat ...

s generally high in old large trees. Threats to these parrots include habitat loss and trapping for the cagebird trade, and one species, the red-and-blue lory, is classified as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

Description

The plumage of ''Eos'' lories is predominantly red, set off with blue, purple or black markings. They range in length from in the blue-eared lory to in several of the larger species. The

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 ...

is orange-red, the irises are reddish to reddish-brown, and the legs are grey. Males and females are identical in external appearance.Forshaw (2006). page 28. They have a

musk Musk ( Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial sub ...

y odour, especially noticeable in the black-winged lory, which is retained even in museum skins.Low (1978), p.51 Juvenile birds are partly striated owing to feathers with darker or dusky tips, and they have orange-brown to black beaks. Species in the genus ''Eos'' are distinguished from lories in the genus ''

Chalcopsitta ''Chalcopsitta'' is a genus of parrot in the family Psittaculidae and the subfamily Loriinae. All three species are native to New Guinea and western offshore islands. The name ''Chalcopsitta'' is derived from the Greek ''khalkos'' meaning "bronz ...

'' by shorter tails and the absence of a bare patch of skin around the mandibles. Members of ''Eos'' do not have green plumage, which helps to distinguish them from some species of other lory genera. ''

Eos In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Eos (; Ionic and Homeric Greek ''Ēṓs'', Attic ''Héōs'', "dawn", or ; Aeolic ''Aúōs'', Doric ''Āṓs'') is the goddess and personification of the dawn, who rose each morning from her home at ...

'' (Ἔως) is Greek for "

dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's hori ...

", referring to the red plumage.

Behaviour and ecology

The ''Eos'' lories feed on the nectar and pollen of various trees and plants. Very little is known about the diet of most species, but birds have been observed feeding on the flowers of coconuts, ''

Eugenia ''Eugenia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It has a worldwide, although highly uneven, distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. The bulk of the approximately 1,100 species occur in the New World tropics, ...

'', coral trees ('' Erythrina''), '' Canarium'', and sago palm ('' Metroxylon''). In addition, they have been observed feeding on unripe fruits of fig trees (''

Ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extendi ...

''), and insects have been found in the stomachs of at least one species (the

red lory The red lory (''Eos bornea'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is the second-most commonly kept lory in captivity, after the rainbow lorikeet. Taxonomy In 1751 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustratio ...

). Some species are reported to be nomadic, moving between islands within their range in order to find food. These movements can apparently be daily as well, with the

violet-necked lory The violet-necked lory (''Eos squamata'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found in the northern Maluku Islands and west Papuan islands. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland f ...

making daily trips from its main islands to smaller offshore islands.Collar (1997) pages 341-343 The ''Eos'' lories are apparently seasonal breeders, with birds prospecting for nesting sites varying by species, having been observed in June and July in the black-winged lory but August and September in the red lory. Like most parrots, they are cavity nesters, generally nesting high in older large trees either in forests or in modified habitats. Most of what is known about their nesting behaviour is derived from captive birds. They generally have a

clutch size __NOTOC__ A clutch of egg (biology), eggs is the group of eggs produced by birds, amphibians, or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest. In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators (or removal by humans, for exam ...

of two eggs which are incubated for 26–27 days. Chicks take around 75–87 days to fledge.

Status and conservation

Threats to these parrots include

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 ...

and

trapping Animal trapping, or simply trapping or gin, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management. History Neolithi ...

for the

cagebird Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds, especially of wild birds in captivity. Types There are various reasons that people get involved in aviculture. Some people breed birds to preserve a species. Some people breed parrots a ...

trade. For example, between 1983 and 1989 an average of 3,200 red lories were trapped and exported per year, which has apparently led to declines in some parts of its range. The red-and-blue lory is an endangered species, and the black-winged lory is classed as vulnerable. The red-and-blue lory is listed under Appendix I of

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

, banning all trade in wild caught birds, while all other species are listed under Appendix II and require permits for their trade.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Eos'' was introduced by the German naturalist

Johann Georg Wagler Johann Georg Wagler (28 March 1800 – 23 August 1832) was a German herpetologist and ornithologist. Wagler was assistant to Johann Baptist von Spix, and gave lectures in zoology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich after it was moved ...

in 1832. The name is from 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 ...

''eōs'' meaning "dawn". The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specime ...

was subsequently designated as the red-and-blue lory (''Eos histrio'') by the English zoologist

George Robert Gray George Robert Gray FRS (8 July 1808 – 6 May 1872) was an English zoologist and author, and head of the ornithological section of the British Museum, now the Natural History Museum, in London for forty-one years. He was the younger brother ...

in 1840. The closest relatives of this genus are the species in the genus ''

Trichoglossus ''Trichoglossus'' is a genus of lorikeet in the Psittaculidae or true parrot superfamily. The genus is distributed widely through Australia, Wallacea and Melanesia, with outliers in the Philippines and Micronesia. Members of the genus are ch ...

''. The genera ''Eos'', ''

'', ''

'', and '' Pseudeos'' form a single clade within the

. The cardinal lory (''Chalcopsitta cardinalis'') has sometimes been placed in the genus.Forshaw (1978), p. 50 The genus ''Eos'' has six species and several subspecies: ''Eos'', Wagler 1832 * Red-and-blue lory, ''Eos histrio'', (Statius Muller 1776) **''Eos histrio challengeri'', Salvadori 1891 **''Eos histrio histrio'', (Statius Muller 1776) **''Eos histrio talautensis'', Meyer, AB & Wiglesworth 1894 *

Violet-necked lory The violet-necked lory (''Eos squamata'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Indonesia, where it is found in the northern Maluku Islands and west Papuan islands. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland f ...

, ''Eos squamata'', (Boddaert 1783) ** ''Eos squamata obiensis'', Rothschild 1899 ** ''Eos squamata riciniata'', (Bechstein 1811) ** ''Eos squamata squamata'', (Boddaert 1783) *

Red lory The red lory (''Eos bornea'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is the second-most commonly kept lory in captivity, after the rainbow lorikeet. Taxonomy In 1751 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustratio ...

, ''Eos bornea'' (Linnaeus 1758) ** ''Eos bornea bornea'', (Linnaeus 1758) ** ''Eos bornea cyanonotha'', (Vieillot 1818) *

Blue-streaked lory The blue-streaked lory (''Eos reticulata'') is also known as the blue-necked lory. It is a medium-sized parrot (31 cm), which is found on the Tanimbar Islands and Babar in the southern Moluccas. Appearance The blue-streaked lory is about ...

, ''Eos reticulata'', (Muller, S 1850) * Black-winged lory, ''Eos cyanogenia'', Bonaparte 1850 * Blue-eared lory, ''Eos semilarvata'', Bonaparte 1850

Species details

References

*Arndt, Thomas (2007)
Lexicon of Parrots
'. Accessed 31/07/07.

Cited texts

* * * * Low, Rosemary. (1978). ''Lories and Lorikeets. The Brush-Tongued Parrots''. Inkata Press: Melbourne. .

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q921151 Bird genera