The painted tiger parrot (''Psittacella picta'') 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 mainly found in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Description

The painted tiger parrot has green wings and tail, red cap, yellow eye, red rump and tiger stripes on its back and belly.

Distribution & population

The total population of the painted tiger parrot is unknown, but wildlife surveys indicate that the population is stable and locally common. It is found throughout much of the Bismarck Range and Owen Stanley Range in the

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of Western Province, Hela Province, Enga Province,

Southern Highlands Province Southern Highlands is a province in Papua New Guinea. Its provincial capital is the town of Mendi. According to Papua New Guinea's national 2021 census, the total population of Southern Highlands province is 927,306. History Separation of H ...

, Western Highlands Province, Chimbu Province,

Eastern Highlands Province Eastern Highlands is a highlands province of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital is Goroka. The province covers an area of 11,157 km2, and has a population of 579,825 (2011 census). The province shares a common administrative boundary w ...

Morobe Province Morobe is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital and largest city is Lae. The province covers 33,705 km2, with a population of 674,810 (2011 census), and since the division of Southern Highlands Province ...

, Central Province, Oro Province, and

Milne Bay Province Milne Bay is a province of Papua New Guinea. Its capital is Alotau. The province covers 14,345 km2 of land and 252,990 km2 of sea, within the province there are more than 600 islands, about 160 of which are inhabited. The province has ...

Ecology

The painted tiger parrot occurs in montane and subalpine forests and shrub at elevations of 2,400-4,000 m. Often, this species is seen in cautiously feeding in low bushes, eating a variety of seeds, berries, and small fruits of

dacrydium ''Dacrydium'' is a genus of conifers belonging to the podocarp family Podocarpaceae. Sixteen species of evergreen Plant sexuality, dioecious trees and shrubs are presently recognized. The genus was first described by Solander in 1786, and former ...

conifers. It is also known to feed alongside

Madarasz's tiger parrot Madarasz's tiger parrot (''Psittacella madaraszi'') is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae native to New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mou ...

. When startled, it flies into the canopy. This species is usually seen in pairs of groups of up to six birds.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q901812 painted tiger parrot Birds of Papua New Guinea Endemic fauna of New Guinea Least concern biota of Oceania painted tiger parrot Taxonomy articles created by Polbot