The Sula hanging parrot (''Loriculus sclateri'') is a small species of parrot 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 is endemic to forest and nearby habitats on the Banggai and Sula Islands in Indonesia.

Description and taxonomy

The Sula hanging parrot has sometimes 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 Moluccan hanging parrot, but the two are increasingly treated as separate species based on their distinct differences in

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

and size (14 cm for the Sula hanging parrot versus for the Moluccan hanging parrot).Collar, N. J. (2007). ''Taxonomic notes on some insular Loriculus hanging-parrots.'' Bull. B.O.C. 127(2): 97-107. When recognized as separate species, the Sula hanging parrot has often been treated as monotypic, but the subspecies ''L. s. ruber'' from the Banggai Islands has recently been re-validated, leaving the nominate for the Sula Islands. Both subspecies have an overall green plumage with red to the chin, rump and leading edge of the wing. In ''L. s. sclateri'' the mantle varies from all mustard-orange to red broadly edged by orange, while the mantle of ''L. s. ruber'' is red with very little orange edge. Furthermore, the red rump is brighter in ''L. s. ruber'' than in ''L. s. sclateri''.

Distribution and habitat

The Sula hanging parrot is found throughout the Sula Islands, Banggi Island, Peleng, Melilis Island, Labobo Island, Seho Island, and other small surrounding islands. However, it is absent from Bengkulu Island and

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

Ecology

The Sula hanging parrot is usually present in areas below 450 meters in

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

secondary forest A secondary forest (or second-growth forest) is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a timber harvest or clearing for agriculture, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident. ...

, near agricultural land with scattered trees, plantations, and forest edges. It is usually found singly or in small groups. Pairs usually nest in tree and stump burrows, as they prefer narrow, long burrows with small holes. To carry back nesting materials to build a nest inside the burrow, this species tucks in materials such as small twigs under its wing and then carries it back to their nesting site. Breeding usually takes place from January to April while a second season happens from July to September. During breeding season the male performs an elaborate courtship display to attract a female. In the display, the male approaches the female with small steps and hops while making a warbling sound. He also extends his neck to show of his blue throat patch while raising his rump, displaying his tail feathers. The species also engages in courtship feeding. Females lay a clutch of 2 to 4 eggs. The female incubate the eggs for approximately 20 days while the male feeds her. Eggs are usually 15 – 18 mm long. Young birds fledge at around 32 days of age and are usually fully independent in 10–11 days.

Conservation

Like most other birds in the genus ''Loriculus'', the Sulu hanging parrot is threatened by deforestation to make way for farms, mining operations, and

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

. It is also threatened by the illegal pet wildlife trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1263571 Sula hanging parrot Birds of Wallacea Sula hanging parrot Taxonomy articles created by Polbot