Hanging parrots are birds in the genus ''Loriculus'', a group of small
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 from tropical southern
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
.
About long, hanging parrots are mostly green plumaged and short-tailed. Often head coloring helps to identify individual species.
They are unique among birds for their ability to sleep upside down.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Loriculus'' was introduced in 1849 by the English zoologist
Edward Blyth for the
blue-crowned hanging parrot
The blue-crowned hanging parrot (''Loriculus galgulus'') is a parrot species endemic to southern Burma and Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, and Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo). These parrots are 12cm in height and weight 28g and have a longevity o ...
. The name is a diminutive of the genus ''
Lorius
''Lorius'' is a genus of lory in the parrot family Psittaculidae. The genus contains six species that are distributed from the Moluccas in Indonesia through New Guinea to the Solomon Islands. They have characteristic red plumage with varying am ...
'' that was introduced by
Nicholas Aylward Vigors for the lorys in 1825.
Fourteen species are recognised:
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Vernal hanging parrot, ''Loriculus vernalis''
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Sri Lanka hanging parrot
The Sri Lanka hanging parrot (''Loriculus beryllinus'') is a small parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka.
Description
The Sri Lanka hanging parrot is a small hanging parrot that is 13 cm long with a short tail. The adult has a ...
, ''Loriculus beryllinus''
*
Philippine hanging parrot
The Philippine hanging parrot (''Loriculus philippensis''), also commonly known as the colasisiKennedy, R.S., Gonzales P.C., Dickinson E.C., Miranda, Jr, H.C., Fisher T.H. (2000) ''A Guide to the Birds of the Philippines'', Oxford University Pres ...
, ''Loriculus philippensis''
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Camiguin hanging parrot, ''Loriculus camiguinensis'' (first described in 2006)
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Blue-crowned hanging parrot
The blue-crowned hanging parrot (''Loriculus galgulus'') is a parrot species endemic to southern Burma and Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, and Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Borneo). These parrots are 12cm in height and weight 28g and have a longevity o ...
, ''Loriculus galgulus''
*
Great hanging parrot, ''Loriculus stigmatus'' (alsoknown as the Celebes hanging parrot)
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Moluccan hanging parrot, ''Loriculus amabilis''
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Sula hanging parrot
The Sula hanging parrot (''Loriculus sclateri'') is a small species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to forest and nearby habitats on the Banggai and Sula Islands in Indonesia.
Description and taxonomy
The Sula hanging par ...
, ''Loriculus sclateri'' (split from ''L. amabilis'')
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Sangihe hanging parrot, ''Loriculus catamene''
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Orange-fronted hanging parrot
The orange-fronted hanging parrot or Papuan hanging parrot (''Loriculus aurantiifrons'') is a small species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae.
It is endemic to forest in New Guinea and adjacent smaller islands. It sometimes includes the Bisma ...
, ''Loriculus aurantiifrons''
*
Bismarck hanging parrot
The Bismarck hanging parrot or green-fronted hanging parrot (''Loriculus tener'') is a small species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae.
It is endemic to forest in the Bismarck Archipelago in Papua New Guinea. It is threatened by habitat loss. ...
, ''Loriculus tener''
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Pygmy hanging parrot
The pygmy hanging parrot, red-billed hanging parrot or green hanging parrot (''Loriculus exilis'') is a tiny species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae.
It is endemic to forest, mangrove and other wooded habitats on the Indonesian island of Su ...
, ''Loriculus exilis'' (also known as the green hanging parrot)
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Yellow-throated hanging parrot
The yellow-throated hanging parrot (''Loriculus pusillus'') is a small species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali. It is found in forest and adjacent habitats. It is threatened by habit ...
, ''Loriculus pusillus''
*
Wallace's hanging parrot
Wallace's hanging parrot (''Loriculus flosculus'') also known as the Flores hanging parrot, is a small (length: 11–12 cm) parrot endemic to the island of Flores.
This is an arboreal parrot. The male is predominantly green, with a red bill ...
, ''Loriculus flosculus''
See also
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Parrotlet
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Pygmy parrot
Pygmy parrots are the smallest members of the parrot order. The six species of pygmy parrots are all in the genus ''Micropsitta'', which is the only genus in the Micropsittini tribe.
Pygmy parrots are native to the forests of New Guinea and near ...
*
Fig parrot
Fig parrots (Cyclopsittini) are a small tribe of Australasian parrots in the family Psittaculidae, made up of five species in two genera ('' Cyclopsitta'' and ''Psittaculirostris''). Fig parrots are found on and around the island of New Guinea, ...
References
Hanging
Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging ...
L
Taxa named by Edward Blyth
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