The montane racket-tail (''Prioniturus montanus'') or the Luzon racket-tail, 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 Psittacoid ...

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 was previously conspecific with the

Mindanao racket-tail The Mindanao racket-tail (''Prioniturus waterstradti'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is endemic to Mindanao in the Philippines. It was previously conspecific with the Luzon Racket-tail. Two subspecies are recognized: th ...

. It is

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 elsew ...

to the mountains of northern

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. It is threatened by habitat loss and the cage bird trade.

Description and Taxonomy

EBird eBird is an online database of bird observations providing scientists, researchers and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. Originally restricted to sightings from the Western Hemisphere, the project e ...

describes the bird as "A medium-sized parrot of montane forest on Luzon. The two central tail feathers have extended shafts ending in a racket shape. Overall green in color, darker on the back and paler below. Male has a blue face and a red crown. The similar

Green racket-tail The green racket-tail (''Prioniturus luconensis'') is an endemic parrot of the Philippines where it is found on Luzon and Marinduque. This species was once common, but is rapidly declining and is currently classified as endangered due to lowland ...

may overlap geographically, but Luzon is usually found at higher elevations and has a darker back. Voice includes various grating calls and shrill squeals. Exhibits

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

in which males have a blueish crown with a bright red spot with the females having a green head with a very light blue tinge. It eats berries, seeds and nuts.Montane Racquet-tail( Prioniturus montanus) - BirdLife species factsheet
/ref> Breeding occurs in

August August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named ''Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

September September is the ninth month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the third of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the fourth of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. September in the Northern H ...

. Like all other Racket-tails, they are cavity nesters.

Habitat and Conservation Status

It inhabits tropic 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 f ...

at 700–2,900 meters above sea level. Has been to known to visit cultivated areas. IUCN has assessed this bird as

near threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qualify fo ...

with its population being estimated as 1,500 to 7,000 mature individuals. . Forest loss is a threat but it is not thought to have as significant impact within this species's alititudinal range as compared to lowland forest. Its lowland counterpart the

is considered much more threatened being listed 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 inva ...

with many local extinctions. Many parrots in the region are affected by trapping for trade, but its impacts upon this species are not known. It is recommended to gather data on the impacts of international and national trade. Undergo surveys to have a better population estimate. Calculate rates of forest loss within its altitudinal and geographic range using satellite imagery and remote sensing techniques. Effectively protect habitat at key sites,

References

montane racket-tail Birds of Luzon montane racket-tail Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{parrot-stub