The Seychelles black parrot, Praslin parrot or kato nwar (''Coracopsis barklyi'') is a sombre-coloured, medium-sized parrot endemic to the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

. Historically, it has been treated as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

lesser vasa parrot The lesser vasa parrot or black parrot (''Coracopsis nigra'') is a black coloured parrot Endemism, endemic to most of Madagascar. It is one of four species of vasa parrots, the others being the greater vasa parrot ''C. vasa'', the Seychelles blac ...

, although it shows morphological, ecological and behavioural differences.Rocamora G, Skerrett A. 2001. Seychelles. In: Fishpool L, Evans MI editors. Important bird areas in Africa and associated islands. Newbury and Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International. pp 751-768. Recent phylogenetic research indicates that the Seychelles population has a long history of isolation and may be sister to the rest of ''Coracopsis''. It is the

national bird This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status. National birds See al ...

of the Seychelles.

Description

The Seychelles black parrot is entirely dark grey-brown except for greyish undertail-coverts; the dark bill becomes paler during the breeding season.Skerrett, A and Disley, T. 2011 Birds of Seychelles. Christopher Helm It is about 30 cm in length, smaller and paler than the 35 cm lesser vasa parrot.

Distribution and habitat

The parrot is found only on the island of

Praslin Praslin () is the second largest island (38.5 km2) of the Inner Seychelles, lying northeast of Mahé in the Somali Sea. Praslin has a population of around 7,533 people and comprises two administrative districts: Baie Sainte Anne and Gra ...

, where its main breeding area is limited by the availability of mature palm forest to the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve and the lower part of Fond Peper in Praslin National Park. It has also been recorded (since 1988) on neighbouring

Curieuse Curieuse Island is a small granitic island in the Seychelles close to the north coast of the island of Praslin. Curieuse is notable for its bare red earth intermingled with the unique coco de mer palms, one of the cultural icons of the Seychelles ...

where it has been seen feeding though there is no evidence of breeding. It inhabits

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

scrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, Herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or ...

and

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

s.Catalogue of threatened and extinct bird species in the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam

Behaviour

Feeding

The parrots’ diet is principally

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

, both wild and cultivated, as well as

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s and buds. Wild foods include the fruits of the endemic

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...

''Vershaffeltia splendida'', growing along the river valleys, as well as the flowers of the

coco de mer Coco commonly refers to: * Coco (folklore), a mythical bogeyman in many Hispano- and Lusophone nations Coco may also refer to: People * Coco (given name), a first name, its shorthand, or unrelated nickname * Coco (surname), a list of people w ...

.African Bird Club: The Seychelles
/ref> Cultivated fruits utilised by the parrots include

guava Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...

papaya The papaya (, ), papaw, () or pawpaw () is the plant species ''Carica papaya'', one of the 21 accepted species in the genus ''Carica'' of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and ...

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

and

bilimbi ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' (commonly known as bilimbi, cucumber tree, or tree sorrel) is a fruit-bearing tree of the genus ''Averrhoa'', family Oxalidaceae. It is a close relative of the carambola tree. Description ''Averrhoa bilimbi'' is a small tro ...

Breeding

The birds breed in deep cavities of old tree trunks with good cover, where they lay 1-3 eggs.

Status and conservation

The population of the Seychelles black parrot is around 520-900 birds.Reuleaux A, Bunbury N, Villard P, Waltert M. 2013. Status, distribution and recommendations for monitoring of the Seychelles Black Parrot Coracopsis (nigra) barklyi.Oryx Although it is protected, it is threatened by illegal persecution outside the reserve as well as by competition for nesting hollows with common mynas, and predation by introduced rats.Seychelles Islands Foundation: Vallee de Mai - key species
/ref>
/ref>

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5464601

Seychelles black parrot The Seychelles black parrot, Praslin parrot or kato nwar (''Coracopsis barklyi'') is a sombre-coloured, medium-sized parrot endemic to the Seychelles. Historically, it has been treated as a subspecies of the lesser vasa parrot, although it shows ...

Birds of Seychelles