The Emerald lorikeet, Neopsittacus pullicauda, an update
Introduction:
I still think it is one of the most lovely lory species. Lory lovers who see this species for the first time often mistake it for the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet.
In spite of the fact that Emerald Lorikeets have been bred regularly during the last few years, they are still not common in aviculture and therefore only sporadically available. I doubt that they will ever become common.
In the previous article, I said that this is an ideal species to keep, especially for keepers of smaller lories. The reasons are as follows:
- Beside lory nectar they eat seeds, which makes their droppings less liquid and not sprayed over a far distance. Compared to other small sized lorikeets, for example, the Red-Flanked Lorikeet, Charmosyna placentis, and other members of the Charmosyna genus, they consume only a small amount of food each day. Due to these feeding aspects their accommodation generally stays clean over a longer period of time.
- In contradiction to the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet, the Emerald Lorikeet gnaws only a little.
- Their small body size makes it possible to keep them in suspended cages. However, it is obvious that the birds themselves prefer a large aviary.
- Emeralds are hardy birds, which can endure cold weather. They can be kept in an outdoor aviary that is connected to a heated indoor accommodation year round. Even when it is freezing a little, they will regularly go outside. Birds that are kept under such circumstances are usually very strong and in an excellent condition.
- Young birds that have left the nest are generally not afraid of humans. They may take food from their owner's hand, or perhaps land on it spontaneously.
Description and taxonomy
The front page shows an Emerald Lorikeet. Beside the emerald, the genus Neopsittacus, contains one other species: the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet, the only lorikeet that resembles the emerald. The clearest difference between both species is the smaller size of the emerald: 18 cm against 22 to 23 cm for a Musschenbroek's Lorikeet.
The Emerald Lorikeet weighs approximately 35 grams. Differences in the coloration occur on the underparts. Both species have an orange-red belly and chest, but the orange-red of the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet is here and there interrupted with green. The beak of a Musschenbroek's Lorikeet is yellow, while that of his little nephew has some shade of orange.
As in most lory species, young birds resemble their parents when they leave the nest. Their beaks, however, are dark brown and the orange-red on their belly and chest is paler and interrupted by green feathers. Young birds have a yellowish mask, which becomes less pronounced after some time.
Three subspecies, of which only one is kept in aviculture, exist:
- The nominate race, N. p. pullicauda. This subspecies closely resembles the bird on the front page: only the front side differs in that it is completely orange-red. The nominate race occurs in the mountains of South-east New Guinea and in the area between these mountains and the Sepik area in the west.
- N. p.alpinus. Compared to the other subspecies most birds have a lighter orange-red breast. Their bellies are slightly darker, but in some birds more than in others. Due to exposing differences, photographs don't always show this characteristic. This subspecies can be found in the Snow Mountain west of Irian Jaya and more to the east up to the Fly river.
- N .p.socialis. In this subspecies the head and back are darker and the lines on the cheeks are said to be more orange. It can be found in the Herzog Mountains and in the mountainous area of the Huon peninsula (in the eastern part of New Guinea).
In aviculture only the subspecies N. p.alpinus occurs, because they live in the part of New Guinea from which birds are imported.
Distribution, biotope and other data
Emerald Lorikeets can only be found in New Guinea. There they inhabit the bordering areas of the higher mountain woods that form the backbone of New Guinea. Usually they are seen in areas between 2300m and 3700m above sea level. In lower parts they can be seen together with their relatives the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet. Normally the Emerald Lorikeet occurs in higher areas than the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet.
Little is known about their natural way of life. It is said that they usually occur in couples or in little groups of up to 30 birds (in feeding trees). They feed on pollen, nectar, flowers, fruits, insects and seeds. Their diet contains less seeds than that of the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet. They easily adapt to the presence of humans and are abundant in most of their range. Emerald Lorikeets are not known as a timid species.
Two eggs were found in a hollow tree on one occasion. Besides this, little is known about their breeding behaviour in the wild.
Experiences in aviculture
Twelve years ago I bought my first Emerald Lorikeets. Since then I have reared them with varying degrees of success. I bred with this species after I had them for four years in my collection. The first pair I placed in a cage 1.50 m long, 50 cm wide and 50 cm high. Since these birds like to have more space to fly, it is better to give them a larger cage.
At the moment I am decreasing the number of small lorikeets and Loriculus in my collection to extend the cages. To do so, I only have to remove the panels between some cages. The remaining lorikeets will have cages of 2.8 m long.
The male of my first pair died as a result of an accident. This pair used to be very active in the nest box, but eggs were never produced. In 1994 I placed a new male with the remaining female. This pair raised young successfully. In my collection and also in the collection of other lory keepers, some pairs produce offspring continuously, while other pairs never do. Several times I composed new pairs, by changing the partners of pairs that did not produce any young. This proved to be successful on several occasions.
The nest boxes that I use always are of the horizontal type, with a length of 35 cm and a height and a width of 15 cm. I have used wood shavings for nesting material for many years. The birds gnaw these shavings into small pieces.
The breeding process was not easy during the first year. The chicks of the first clutch (November 1994) were raised without any problems; the chicks were not plucked and fed well. From the second and the third clutch, each time only one chick survived. A young of the second clutch was killed shortly before it was about to leave the nest. A young of the third clutch was killed shortly after hatching. On both occasions the remaining chick was heavily plucked. With the fourth and fifth clutch I removed the male shortly before the eggs were about to hatch. On both occasions the female successfully raised both chicks on her own. Later on, I decided to let the male stay with his female during the whole breeding process, and, of each clutch, chicks were raised without any problems.
Worth mentioning is the fact that on one occasion, when the female had stopped breeding after a small accident with the nest box, I placed the eggs in the nest of a Striated Lorikeet, Charmosyna multistriata. This non-seedeating species raised both chicks without problems.
Eggs of the Emerald Lorikeet hatch after approximately 24 days of breeding and the hatch weight of chicks is 3,5 to 3,7 grams. Somewhere between the 45th and the 50th day chicks leave the nest. When the chicks are still covered with down, the resemblance with chicks of Musschenbroek's Lorikeet is very evident. Like chicks of the Musschenbroek's Lorikeet, emerald chicks have a yellow patch on the back of the head. After about 30 days, when normal feathers start to overgrow, the yellow patch disappears. Chicks can be ringed between day 10 and day 13, with a 4,0 mm ring.
Beside the kinds of food that are generally given to lories, they also like to eat seeds. Fruits and vegetables can also be tried. Emerald Lorikeets generally accept most kinds of food, and it is recommended to offer them a varied diet. Compared to other lorikeets with a similar size (such as the Red Spotted Lorikeet, Charmosyna rubronotata), they eat only a small amount of food each day.
Slot
At the moment I still have Emerald Lorikeets. Halfway the nineties I increased the number of pairs with different bloodlines but, due to the recent decrease of my collection, I now have fewer pairs than before. Bad luck I had with the sex composition of the birds that I bred. At one time I had 15 single males, and I was happy to receive some females from Switzerland and sell some single males for a small price. At the time I had an equal amount of both sexes, I almost exclusively bred females. During the last three years I always had a surplus of females. Fortunately, the number of males and females in my collection is more or less in balance at the moment.
At the moment too many pairs of Emerald Lorikeets that belong to different lory keepers have not produced any offspring for years. Perhaps those lory keepers should exchange some birds. When I started with this species, I also had a female that did not raise any chicks, until she was placed with another male.
Literature
JUNIPER, T & PARR, M (1998) ; Parrots, A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press
