Chalcopsitta


Chalcopsitta is a genus of parrot in the family Psittaculidae and the subfamily Loriinae. Four of the species are native to New Guinea and western offshore islands. The name Chalcopsitta is derived from the Greek khalkos meaning "bronze" and psitta meaning "parrot".

Description

The five species of the genus Chalcopsitta are about 31 – long. They have long tails, and prominent bare skin at the base of the lower mandible. Males and females have similar external appearance, and juveniles have duller plumage with more marked bare eye-rings.

Taxonomy

The genus Chalcopsitta was introduced in 1850 by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte. The name combines the Ancient Greek khalkos meaning "bronze" with the Modern Latin psitta meaning "parrot". The type species was designated by George Robert Gray in 1855 as the black lory.

Species

The genus contains five species:
ImageCommon nameScientific nameDistribution
Dusky loryChalcopsitta fuscataNew Guinea, including Salawati and Yapen
Cardinal loryChalcopsitta cardinalislowlands of Bismarck Archipelago and Solomon Islands
Brown loryChalcopsitta duivenbodeinorthern New Guinea
Black loryChalcopsitta atraRaja Ampat Islands and Bird's Head Peninsula
Yellow-streaked loryChalcopsitta scintillatasouth New Guinea and satellites

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