The Blue-backed Parrot, Tanygnathus sumatranus, is also known as Müller's (or Mueller's) Parrot, or Azure-rumped Parrot. This parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

 is endemic to the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

, and Sulawesi

Sulawesi

Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...

 and nearby islands in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. It occurs in forest and nearby habitats (including cultivated areas) at altitudes up to 800 m. Flocks are small and often active at night. Known to eat crops, including corn.

Description

It is of medium size (32 cm), basically green with yellowish edging to the wings, a blue rump, and blue wing bends. The head, mantle, wings and tail are darker green, the belly and collar are lighter green. It is sexually dimorphic, with the male having a red beak and the female a pale yellow or horn colored beak. There are six subspecies

Subspecies

Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

:

• T. s. sumatranus: Sulawesi and nearby islands. Yellow iris
  Iris (anatomy)
  The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...
  
  .
• T. s. sangirensis: Sangir Islands and Karakelong
  Karakelong
  Karakelong is the chief island of the Talaud Islands north east of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its area is . Its largest town is Beo on the west coast....
  
  . More blue on wing bends and wing coverts, head darker green. Yellow iris.
• T. s. burbidgii: Sulu Islands. Darker green with lighter collar. Yellow iris.
• T. s. everetti: Panay
  Panay
  Panay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
  
  , Negros, Leyte, Samar, Mindanao
  Mindanao
  Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
  
  . Mantle and back darker, rump and head lighter. Some blue in mantle. Red iris.
• T. s. duponti: Luzon
  Luzon
  Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
  
  . Dark green with yellow collar. Yellowish underwing coverts. Iris red.
• T. s. freeri: Polillo Islands. More uniform color with less contrast, more yellow on nape. Iris red.

External links

• Oriental Bird Images: Azure-rumped Parrot Selected photos