The New Caledonian lorikeet (''Vini diadema'') is a potentially extinct

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 ...

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 the

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

n island of New Caledonia.

Taxonomy

The New Caledonian lorikeet was formerly assigned to the genus ''

Charmosyna ''Charmosyna'' is a genus of parrots in the family Psittaculidae. Taxonomy ''Charmosyna'' contains the following three species: * Josephine's lorikeet (''Charmosyna josefinae'') * Papuan lorikeet (''Charmosyna papou'') * Stella's lorikeet (''C ...

''. It was moved to the genus '' Vini'' based on a molecular phylogenetic study of the lorikeets published in 2020; although this species was not sampled, it was transferred to the newly-expanded ''Vini'' based on consideration of plumage and biogeography.

Description

The New Caledonian lorikeet is 18–19 cm long (the size of a large hand), 7–8 cm of which is the slim and pointed tail. The wings are slender and pointed, measuring 91 mm in the only specimen. Its tarsus is 16 cm long. Female birds are green overall, with deep violet blue crown and dark bluish thighs, a yellowish face and underside face, and a red anal region. The tail is green above and yellowish olive below, with the four lateral feathers with red basal markings followed by a black band, tipped yellow on the underside. The beak is orange-red, the

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

probably dark orange like the feet. Males have not been recorded. Based on similar species, they likely have more red coloration, probably including the face, underside of the

primaries Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...

and the rump sides; and are likely slightly larger. Immature birds should look like dull females. Its noises are also unknown but—again based on similar species—are likely high-pitched screeches. These would be the most telling sign of the species, but only to observers familiar with other local parrots' vocalizations. While the birds would be unmistakable due to their small size, they are extremely hard to spot.

Distribution

The provenance of the extant specimen is unknown. One was shot at Mont Ignambi near Oubatche in 1913 (Sarasin & Roux, 1913), but not preserved. Unverified reports exist from west of Mont Panié and the Mont Ignambi area in the North Province, and from the

La Foa La Foa is a commune in the South Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Although the provincial seat of the South Province is in Nouméa, La Foa was made the chief town of the administrative subdivisio ...

Canala Canala is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. History On 25 April 1995 about 47% of the territory of Canala was detached and became the commune of Kouaoua Kouaoua (; in Aj ...

road and Yaté Lake in the South Province (Stokes, 1980; Forshaw & Cooper 1989; Ekstrom ''et al.'', 2002). Bregulla (1993) suggested it might be in the area around Mont Panié and Mont Humboldt—about 60 km SE of Canala—and the Massif du Kouakoué. Given the low accessibility of the highlands, flocks could, in theory, exist in any of the larger remaining patches of relatively undisturbed forest, e.g., between the intercoastal roads around the province border.

Ecology

This bird is hard to track because it is nomadic and is relatively inconspicuous. The species is believed to live in humid montane forests but (seasonally?) flies in and out of lowland '' Melaleuca'' forests. Most reports come from such lowland forests, but this probably reflects better accessibility. Mt. Ignambi is believed to be an ideal habitat for the species. The Yaté Lake report was from an area of low shrubland. The bird apparently keeps to treetops. Related species eat nectar, pollen, blossoms, and sometimes soft fruit, foraging in pairs or small (typically fewer than 10) flocks. '' Erythrina'' was specifically mentioned as food plants for this species. Reproduction data for 'green' ''Charmosyna'' lorikeets is only available for the Red-flanked (''C. placentis'') and the red-fronted lorikeet (''C. rubronotata''). Breeding season probably is July–December, and possibly to February, or even all-year round. They excavate in arboreal

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blatto ...

nests or

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

ferns. Clutches consist of two (sometimes three?) white rounded eggs; extrapolating from scant data for relatives, ''C. diadema'' eggs probably measure about 19.6 x 18.7 mm.

Status

Described from two skins (both females) collected somewhere on New Caledonia before 1860 (Berlioz 1945). One has since disappeared. The other is in the MNHN (specimen 762A). Sarasin & Roux (1913) report a claim that the species existed near Oubatche; one bird was shot but could not be preserved. Layard & Layard (1882), while not observing birds themselves, report there were rare sightings up to 1880. Forshaw & Cooper (1989) cite Anthony Stokes, who in December 1976 collected reports on sightings: An older local identified it from a colored plate and claimed to have observed a single bird in shrubland near Lake Yaté "many years ago," possibly in the 1920s. A forestry official claimed to have twice seen two individuals fly overhead, once in 1953 or 1954 on the La Foa-Canala road, and once on June 3, 1976, W of Mt Panié. However, none of these claims could be confirmed, and all searches (e.g., 1938 by MacMillan) have been fruitless. Stokes also reported that collectors coming to New Caledonia to search for this bird offered rewards for live or dead specimens. Opinion is divided on whether the New Caledonian lorikeet still exists. King (1981) lists it as extinct since 1860, which is certainly not correct. Most authors hope someone will yet rediscover the New Caledonian lorikeet. This hope isn't unrealistic, given that the subject would be a very small, inconspicuous bird in a large, wild area that is difficult for ornithological field work. The 1999 rediscovery of '' Aegotheles savesi'', which was known only from a single male skin for 119 years, provides encouragement. A 6-month search expedition to the Mt. Ignambi area in 1998 did not find the species, and locals were not familiar with it. New surveys of highland rainforests are planned for 2006/200

Reasons for the species' rarity are unknown. There seems to have been a marked decline in the numbers of two of the other three parrots native to New Caledonia (the New Caledonian red-crowned parakeet and the

horned parakeet The horned parakeet (''Eunymphicus cornutus'') is a species of parrot in the genus '' Eunymphicus'', in the family Psittaculidae. It is a medium-sized parrot endemic to New Caledonia. It is called "horned" because it has two black feathers that ...

. Deplanche's lorikeet is still common), also for unknown reasons. New Caledonian bird populations decline wherever habitat is modified, which supports the hypothesis that human interference impacts the birds in a serious way. However, ''C. diademas post-1880 decline—if real—took place too early for

habitat destruction 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 ...

to have been a decisive factor. Neither could capture for the cage bird trade have influenced the decline. Introduced cats or rats could have been responsible for the decline, or an introduced disease, or a combination of these factors and subtle habitat changes. For example, the large-scale destruction of lowland forest may have deprived the species of a food source they seasonally depended on. The introduction of cats and European rats in the mid-19th century fits the assumed pattern of decline; however, cats probably didn't spread over the whole island until recent times. Rats, especially black rats, which are arboreal, probably represent a serious threat, but the species did not succumb to the prehistoric arrival of the

Polynesian rat The Polynesian rat, Pacific rat or little rat (''Rattus exulans''), known to the Māori as ''kiore'', is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the brown rat and black rat. The Polynesian rat originated in Southeast Asia, ...

. For whatever reason, the New Caledonian lorikeet is an extremely rare and elusive bird. The rarity could be caused in part by the elusiveness. Its relative, the red-throated lorikeet, feared extinct since the beginning of the 20th century, apparently survived in considerable numbers to the 1970s. However, it is more likely ''C. diadema'' is genuinely rare. Based on distance between sightings and remaining prime habitat, any remaining populations are probably small and geographically fragmented. The New Caledonian lorikeet, like most parrots, is listed in

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 ...

Appendix II (since June 6, 1981) and

European Union regulation A regulation is a legal act of the European Union that becomes immediately enforceable as law in all member states simultaneously. Regulations can be distinguished from directives which, at least in principle, need to be transposed into nation ...

338/97 Appendix B (since June 1, 1997). It is listed as Critically Endangered (D1) by IUCN, which means that the

effective population size The effective population size (''N'e'') is a number that, in some simplified scenarios, corresponds to the number of breeding individuals in the population. More generally, ''N'e'' is the number of individuals that an idealised population w ...

is likely to be less than fifty individuals. A 2018 study recommended uplisting the species to Critically Endangered - Possibly Extinct, citing bird extinction patterns and the lack of sightings since 1987.

References

External links

BirdLife International Species Factsheet
Accessed June 26, 2006. {{Taxonbar, from=Q787162 New Caledonian lorikeet Endemic birds of New Caledonia Birds described in 1860 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN