The duchess lorikeet (''Charmosynoides margarethae'') is a species of

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

in the family

Psittaculidae Psittaculidae is a family of parrots, commonly known as Old World parrots, though this term is a misnomer, as not all its members occur in the Old World and Psittacinae also occurs in the Old World. It consists of six subfamilies: Psittricha ...

. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Charmosynoides''. It is found throughout the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

archipelago. Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are

subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Description TSMF is generally found in large ...

, subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

, and

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

Taxonomy

The duchess lorikeet was

formally described A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differ ...

in 1879 by the English clergyman and

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

Henry Baker Tristram Henry Baker Tristram FRS (11 May 1822 – 8 March 1906) was an English clergyman, Bible scholar, traveller and ornithologist. As a parson-naturalist he was an early, but short-lived, supporter of Darwinism, attempting to reconcile evolution an ...

from a specimen collected at Makira Harbour, San Cristoval,

. Tristam coined the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

''Charmosyna margarethae''. The specific epithet was chosen to honour

Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (Louise Margaret Alexandra Victoria Agnes; 25 July 1860 – 14 March 1917), later Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn, was a member of the House of Hohenzollern who married into the British royal family. She ...

who became the Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn when she married

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's son Prince Arthur in 1879. The lorikeet was moved to its own genus, ''Charmosynoides'', 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. The name ''Charmosynoides'' is a combination of the genus name ''Charmosyna'' with the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

''-oides'' meaning "resembling".

Description

The duchess lorikeet is 20 cm (8 in) in length, and weighs . An adult is mainly bright red, with purple to black hindcrowns and yellow-orange eyes. It has an orange

bill Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Pl ...

and a wide yellow chest band along with a thin yellow collar on the mantle bordered by a purple or black line. It has a dull mauve to black lower breast, with dull yellow underwings. Its tail are red, with green upper

tail coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are small feathers behind t ...

and yellow tips. Females look the same as males, but additionally have yellow patches on the side of the rump. Juvenile lorikeets have black markings on the head and underparts, along with a dusky black patch on the

occiput The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone lies over the occipital lobes of the ...

. The breast band is a faint yellow and the yellow collar on the mantle has a dusky wash. They have a brown to black bill, with grey eyes.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found only on

Bougainville Island Bougainville Island (; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. Its land area is . The highest point is Mount Balbi, on the main island, at . The much smaller Buk ...

and 6 islands in the

. It is a localised species that is absent from large areas of habitat in its range that are potentially suitable for it. It is most often found in lower montane forest and in coconut plantations. It is found from sea level to an elevation of asl. It may be nomadic and inhabit habitats at different altitudes.

Behavior and ecology

The calls of the duchess

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 p ...

are generally more squeaky than that of other species of lorikeets. Their flight calls are loud and high-pitched, while high-pitched screek notes are made while feeding.

Food and feeding

The lorikeet mostly feed on nectar, pollen, and small fruits, especially ''

Schefflera ''Schefflera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araliaceae with 13 species native to New Zealand and some Pacific islands. The genus is named in honor of , physician and botanist of Gdańsk, and later of Warsaw, who contributed plan ...

''.

Threats

Much of the lowland forest in its range is scheduled to be logged, although it could survive at higher altitudes. Another threat to the species is the possibility of large scale pet trade.

In culture

It was featured on a stamp for the

made in 1975.

Status

The species is widespread and relatively common through its range, but the population may decline rapidly in the future if large scale pet trade begins. The species is considered to be of

Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

and the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

Aviculture

The species is traded in the

pet trade Wildlife trade refers to the exchange of products derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, tis ...

, but there is an export quota of 60 birds per year to avoid population decline.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1267898

duchess lorikeet The duchess lorikeet (''Charmosynoides margarethae'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Charmosynoides''. It is found throughout the Solomon Islands (archipelago), Solomon Islands arc ...

Birds of the Solomon Islands

Lorini Taxa named by Henry Baker Tristram Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN