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Black Lory  

Also Known As: Red-quilled Lory, Rajah/Raja Lory
 
black_lory_1

Black Lory perching

Credit: © http://www.birdphotos.com
 
photos Photos videoVideo 1
 
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Did You Know?
San Diego Zoo has bred a black lory which has mainly red in its immature plumage. This suggests the black lory may have evolved from an all-red bird.

Species Profile
Genus:
Chalcopsitta

Species:
atra

Size: Adult Weight:
32 cm (12.5 in) 230-260g (8-9.1 oz)

Races including nominate:
C. a. atra, C. a. insignis, C. a. bernsteini, and a single specimen of C. a. spectabilis (C. atra x C. scintillata hybrid)

Colourization Adult:
C. a. atra: both adults in general black; rump violet/blue; undertail olive/yellow washed with red, bare black eye-ring, black skin at base of bill. Eye orange/red. C. a. bernsteini: red/purple markings on forehead and thighs, less evident in females; darker blue rump. C. a. insignis: head streaked grey/blue; forehead, face, thighs and underwing covers red; feathers of throat and lower underparts edged red; dull blue rump, undertail covers grey/blue.

Colourization Juvenile:
C.a. atra: as in adult but with white cere and eye-ring. Eye grey. C. a. bernsteini: as in adults. C. a. insignis: lores tinged red, forehead and face black, red less bright on thighs.

Call: High screech or chitter.

Recent Academic Research: Google Scholar - search results

 

Content Sources:

CITES http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html

BirdLife International http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=1335&m=0

Internet Bird Collection http://www.hbw.com/ibc/

Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977, 1989.

Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.

Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.

Parrots: Their Care and Breeding, Low, 1986.