Blue-naped Parrot
Encyclopedia
The Blue-naped Parrot also known as the Blue-crowned Green Parrot, Luzon Parrot, the Philippine Green Parrot, and locally known as Pikoy, is a parrot
found throughout the Philippines
including the Talaud Islands
and islands off north and east Borneo
(with introduced
population in Borneo itself, e.g. Kota Kinabalu
). It is a medium size parrot (31 cm), primarily green except for a light blue rear crown and nape, pale blue lower back and rump, scalloped shoulders with orange-brown on black coverts
, and blackish underwings with green underwing coverts.
It is found in secondary forest, forest edge and plantations up to 1000 m. Flock size
is usually under a dozen. They feed on berries, seeds, nuts and grain. Habitat loss and trapping have made them scarce on most islands except Mindoro
and Palawan
. Though the Katala Foundation
has raised concerns over the increasing illegal trade of this bird on Palawan.
. Others are now generally considered invalid.
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...
found throughout 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...
including the Talaud Islands
Talaud Islands
Talaud Islands is a group of islands located north of Sulawesi island in Indonesia, northeast of the Sangihe Islands...
and islands off north and east Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
(with introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
population in Borneo itself, e.g. Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu
Kota Kinabalu , formerly known as Jesselton, is the capital of Sabah state in East Malaysia. It is also the capital of the West Coast Division of Sabah. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo facing the South China Sea. The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park lies on one side and Mount...
). It is a medium size parrot (31 cm), primarily green except for a light blue rear crown and nape, pale blue lower back and rump, scalloped shoulders with orange-brown on black coverts
Covert (feather)
A covert feather on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts, which as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail.- Wing-coverts :...
, and blackish underwings with green underwing coverts.
It is found in secondary forest, forest edge and plantations up to 1000 m. Flock size
Group size measures
Many animals, including humans, tend to live in groups, herds, flocks, bands, packs, shoals, or colonies of conspecific individuals. The size of these groups, as expressed by the number of participant individuals, is an important aspect of their social environment...
is usually under a dozen. They feed on berries, seeds, nuts and grain. Habitat loss and trapping have made them scarce on most islands except Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
and Palawan
Palawan
Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the MIMAROPA region or Region 4. Its capital is Puerto Princesa City, and it is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of jurisdiction. The islands of Palawan stretch from Mindoro in the northeast to Borneo in the...
. Though the Katala Foundation
Katala Foundation
Katala Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, non-stock and non-governmental organization and is active in protecting and conserving wildlife, particularly the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo or Red-vented cockatoo and other threatened endemic wildlife in the Philippines...
has raised concerns over the increasing illegal trade of this bird on Palawan.
Taxonomy
There are currently three recognized subspeciesSubspecies
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...
. Others are now generally considered invalid.
- T. l. lucionensis: LuzonLuzonLuzon 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...
and Mindoro - T. l. hybridus: Polillo Islands. Blue on crown less extensive, tinged with violet. More green on wing coverts.
- T. l. talautensis (T. l. salvadorii is recognized instead by some authorities on Philippine birds citing Kenneth C. Parkes' 1971 Nemouria publication): Rest of range. No blue on lower back, plumage less yellow.
External links
- Oriental Bird Images: Blue-naped Parrot Selected photos