DID YOU KNOW?
Meek’s Lorikeet has been observed to nest in tree moss.
Size:
16 cm (6.2 in)
Weight:
23-32 g (0.8-1.1 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
one
Colour Adult:
Both adults mainly green; dull grey/blue forecrown with fine green streaks; olive/brown wash on mantle; underwing band yellow and variable; green tail tipped with yellow. Beak orange. Eye orange.
Colour Juvenile:
As in adults but beak brown with yellow tip.
Call:
Calls are described as high-pitched and screechy as that of the Red-flanked Lorikeet (C. placentis) but weaker and more abrupt.
More Information:
Content Sources:
CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
xeno-canto Meek’s Lorikeet, Lambert, Frank, XC289760
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006. 2010 edition
Captive Status:
Not found.
Longevity:
—
Housing:
—
Diet:
—
Enrichment:
—
Nest Box Size:
—
Clutch Size:
2 or more.
Fledging Age:
—
Hatch Weight:
—
Peak Weight:
—
Weaning Weight:
—
World Population:
Unknown, but described as being common on some islands and not on others.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
A BirdLife ‘restricted-range’ species. Seen in small groups with larger parties at flowering trees.
Range:
Bougainville Island, E Papua new Guinea, and Santa Isabel, Kolombangara, Guadalcanal and Malaita, in Solomon Islands.
Habitat:
Found from 300-1200 m (984-3936 ft) in humid hill and mountain forest; also seen in coconut palms in the lowlands.
Wild Diet:
Diet includes blossoms of Syzygium, Metrosideros, Mearnsia and coconuts; also soft fruit and berries.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Is observed to be nomadic, flying back and forth from lowland to highlands. Usually seen in flocks of 10-15 birds flying just above the canopy, or darting in amongst the foliage. Large groups may gather in heavily flowering trees in the company of honeyeaters and other lorikeets.
Clutch and Egg Size:
2 or more.
Breeding Season:
One nest noted, in August, in a large clump of moss in a tree.
Related Links:
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