Beautiful PARROTS

ROSEMARY LOW considers the Philippine hanging parrot and its numerous subspecies – some of which ought to be considered full species and deserve urgent protection

- ROSEMARY LOW

THE hanging parrots (Loriculus) are a group of small parrots of exceptional beauty: they are living jewels. They measure between 11-14cm (4-51/2in) and weigh 20-36g. Their plumage is a vibrant shade of green. Twelve of the 13 species have the rump and upper tail coverts crimson.

The display is mesmerising because the birds suddenly erect these feathers so that they stand away from the body. This is an amazing sight, whose beauty must be seen to be believed! In this genus the tail is very short, barely extending beyond the wing coverts. The beak is small and the upper mandible narrow.

This is a genus of contrasts. Some species are sexually dimorphic; some are not. The eye colour differs. It is dark in the Philippine (L. philippensis), giving it a soft, gentle appearance. The white iris of the vernal hanging parrot (L.vernalis) gives it a hard, staring look.

Members of this genus are very widely distributed, in New Guinea, various Indonesian island and the Philippines, and Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, China and Thailand.

The Philippine hanging parrot is the largest and most colourful, and is relentlessly sought by trappers. Not all taxonomists agree with the view that there are 13 species of hanging parrots. In 2006 a new species was described from the island of Camiguin in the Philippines. It differed from nearby Mindanao’s race apicalis in lacking the red throat and in having a distinctly longer tail and wings. Also, the blue area on the cheek is more extensive, as is the red on the top of the head, and the green body plumage is darker, less yellowish, than in apicalis.