The blue-fronted lorikeet (''Charmosynopsis toxopei'') also known as the Buru lorikeet, is a

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 Psittaco ...

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 els ...

to the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n island of

Buru Buru (formerly spelled Boeroe, Boro, or Bouru) is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to ...

Taxonomy

This

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

was formerly placed in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

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 ( ...

''. It was moved to the resurrected genus ''

Charmosynopsis ''Charmosynopsis'' is a genus of parrots in the family Psittaculidae that are endemic to New Guinea, the southern Maluku Islands. Taxonomy The genus ''Charmosynopsis'' was introduced in 1877 by the Italian zoologist Tommaso Salvadori with the fa ...

'' based on a

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study published in 2020.

History

The first foreign scientist who described the blue-fronted lorikeet and the only one who managed to capture it (seven individuals in the 1920s, using lime) was the

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

-born Dutch

lepidopterist Lepidopterology ()) is a branch of entomology concerning the scientific study of moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies. Someone who studies in this field is a lepidopterist or, archaically, an aurelian. Origins Post- Renaissance, t ...

Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus (1894 - April 21, 1951) was a Java-born, Dutch nationality lepidopterist. He mainly worked in Indonesia then known as the Dutch East Indies and specialised in the families Lycaenidae and Hesperiidae. Wikispecies provides ...

, which is reflected in the Latin name of the bird. His observations were summarized by the Dutch

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Hendrik Cornelis Siebers (1890–1949) in 1930.

Distribution and habitat

Toxopeus noted that the bird's habitat on Buru is likely restricted to the western part of the Rana plateau in the center of the island (settlements of Wa Temun, Wa Fehat and Nal Besi), as the local name of the bird, ''utu papua'', was not known anywhere else on the island. Two indigenous hunters caught blue-fronted lorikeets for food north-west from the Rana lake, but the bird was not found in the mangroves of the Kayeli Bay at the eastern part of Buru.Noel F. R. Snyde
Parrots: status survey and conservation action plan 2000–2004
IUCN (2000) p. 70 The locals living at the Rana plateau reported that the bird feeds on nectar and pollen of the flowering trees. Toxopeus found the bird at elevations of . Four blue-fronted lorikeets were observed in the 1980s, in very different areas at the north-western (Bara settlement) and southern coasts of Buru, at a coconut plantation and in a disturbed lowland forest between the coastal farming fields and the base of the nearby hills. Flocks of several birds were found in another area at elevation of . In November 2014, it was rediscovered and the first photographs were published by

birders Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

from BirdQuest in the internet. The analysis of all observations suggested that the blue-fronted lorikeet preferably inhabits forests at the altitude of several hundred meters.Blue-fronted Lorikeet
, Hokkaido Institute of Environmental Sciences and Japan Science and Technology Agency

Behaviour

The blue-fronted lorikeets usually live in pairs, but may form groups up to 10 individuals. They grow to about .
The voice was described by Toxopeus as a ti–ti–ti–ti–tititi shrill, but might be related not to the blue-fronted lorikeet, but to the

red-flanked lorikeet The red-flanked lorikeet (''Hypocharmosyna placentis'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is found in Mollucas, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland fore ...

(''Charmosyna placentis'') which was later observed in the same area. In nature the blue-fronted lorikeets feed on flowering trees of the family

Myrtaceae Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All spe ...

, and in captivity they consumed bananas and milk.

Status

The anecdotal character of their observation and very limited habitat, which is gradually shrinking due to logging, urged the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natur ...

to gradually elevate its status from threatened in 1988 to vulnerable in 1994 and critically endangered since 2000. The establishment of two protected areas on Buru, Gunung Kapalat Mada (1,380 km²) and Waeapo (50 km²), partly aim at preserving the habitat of the blue-fronted lorikeet.

Taxonomy

History

Distribution and habitat

Behaviour

Status

References

Further reading