Blue-crowned racket-tail
The blue-crowned racket-tail (Prioniturus discurus) is a parrot found on all the larger islands of the Philippines except Palawan and Panay islands. It is 27 cm, basically green with a blue crown, bluish undertail, whitish beak, and dark underwings with green coverts. The blue-headed racket-tail (P. platenae) was formerly included in this species.[1]
| Blue-crowned racket-tail | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Juvenile | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Genus: | Prioniturus |
| Species: | P. discurus |
| Binomial name | |
| Prioniturus discurus (Vieillot, 1818) | |
Taxonomy
Illustration by John Gould
There are three subspecies:
- P. d. discurus: Jolo, Mindanao, Olutanga, Basilan, Guimaras, Luzon.
- P. d. whiteheadi: Negros, Bohol, Samar, Leyte, Masbate, Cebu. Less blue on crown.
- P. d. nesophilus: Tablas, Sibuyan, Catanduanes. Still less blue. May be part of P.d. whiteheadi.
It inhabits humid forests, mangroves, and cultivated areas up to 1750m. Small flocks of 5-12, but more gather at fruit trees. Eats fruit, berries, nuts and seeds. Widespread but threatened by habitat destruction and trapping for the cage-bird trade.
References
- BirdLife International (2014). "Prioniturus discurus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Juniper & Parr (1998) Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World; ISBN 0-300-07453-0.
External links
- Oriental Bird Images: Blue-crowned racquet-tail Selected photos
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