Josephine’s Lorikeet


Josephine's-Lorikeet

Josephine’s Lorikeet 23–25 cm. Plumage extensively red, with orange bill and legs, blue-streaked black patch from behind eye over rear crown and nape; black lower belly, flanks, and thighs;

olive-green mantle and wings, but red underwing coverts; small dull blue rump patch; outer tail feathers proximally green, distally yellow, tail tipped yellow, and underside all yellow.  

Josephine’s Lorikeet Female has a yellow patch on the upper rump. Immature has a green or blue tinge in black. Race sepikiana has grey instead of blue in the crown, more black on the belly; cyclopum largely lacks any blue crown streaking and is only faintly dusky on the belly.

Editor’s Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Josephine's Lorikeets

Three subspecies were recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Charmosyna josefinae josefinae Scientific name definitions

Distribution

W New Guinea from Vogelkop Peninsula to Snow Mts.
SUBSPECIES

Charmosyna josefinae cyclopum Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Cyclops Mts, in NC New Guinea.
SUBSPECIES

Charmosyna josefinae sepikiana Scientific name definitions

Distribution

C New Guinea from Sepik R and Western Highlands E to Mt Bosavi.

A pair of Josephine’s lorikeets (Charmosyna josefinae) at Loro Parque Fundacion

SOURCE: Video Ark

Distribution

Editor’s Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the ‘Subspecies’ article above. In the future, we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Inhabits forest, forest edge, and partly cultivated land, generally at middle elevations, 760–1770 m.

Movement

No information, but possibly nomadic.

Diet and Foraging

Josephine’s Lorikeet feeding nectar, pollen, and flower buds, are taken in canopy trees and mid-story epiphytes; a climbing vine with large white flowers is noted to be important.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Josephine’s Lorikeet Calls include high-pitched screeches such as a shrill “skreet” and a quieter “tsit”, quite similar to C. pulchella.

Breeding

Josephine’s Lorikeet in breeding condition taken in Feb; no other information.

Conservation Status

Josephine's Lorikeet

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Considered to be generally sparse and local throughout most parts of the range, although assessments may be biased by unobtrusive behavior.

Forest habitat is not threatened at present, but is likely to be affected in the future; trade is probably not a threat, although 697 were exported in 1986, mostly from Indonesia, and 459 in 1987, thereafter becoming much lower.

Other lorikeet types:


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Amanda