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Cardinal Lory

 (Chalcopsitta cardinalis)
 
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Companion Cardinal Lory
© Nathan Rupert [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Cardinal Lory makes forays between the many islands it inhabits. It has recently been reported from Ontong Java atoll (string of small coral islands) where it was not seen previously.

Academic Research

Related publications: Chalcopsitta cardinalis

Species Profile

Genus: Chalcopsitta | Species: cardinalis

Size:

31cm (12.1 in)

Weight:

175-215g (6.1-7.5 oz)

Subspecies including nominate:

one

Colour Adult:

Both adults in general red; dull buff/yellow margins on feathers of underparts; brown/red tail. Bill red with black at base; Eye ring bare and black. Skin at base of bill black with yellow blotches. Eye orange/red.

Colour Juvenile:

As in adults but paler red on back and wings. Bill dull orange marked with black. Eye ring grey/white. Eye dull yellow.

Call:

Calls are described as distinctive; coarse, shrieking, trilling or rasping.

Listen Now

Video Links:

Video 1 | Video 2

More Information:

Avibase

Content Sources:

CITES
The Lory Link
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.

Click photo to visit gallery

Companion Cardinal Lory
© Nathan Rupert [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Cardinal Lory makes forays between the many islands it inhabits. It has recently been reported from Ontong Java atoll (string of small coral islands) where it was not seen previously.

Academic Research

Related publications: Chalcopsitta cardinalis

Species Care

Captive Status:

Very rare

Longevity:

25-35 yrs

Housing:

Aviary with well drained tiled or concrete sloping floor or suspended enclosure over same.

Diet:

Nectar - a commercial type or one homemade from: lactose-free baby cereal, honey, and malt extract or molasses, mixed with filtered water, with the addition of wheatgerm if desired, made fresh once or twice daily; fruit once or twice daily: apple, pear, orange, cactus fruits, papaya, mango, kiwi and bananas; one or more of: carrots, fresh corn on the cob or unsalted tinned sweet corn; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, dandelion, sowthistle or chickweed; rearing food made from hard boiled egg, wholegrain bread and carrot, all ground to crumbly consistency.

Enrichment:

Enjoys bathing so provide overhead misters or shallow water bowls. Provide unsprayed, flowering branches and other browse for foraging.

Nest Box Size:

Not recorded.

Clutch Size:

2

Incubation Time:

24 days

Fledging Age:

Unknown but assume 11 weeks.

Hatch Weight:

Not recorded.

Peak Weight:

Not recorded.

Weaning Weight:

Not recorded.

Specialist Club:

The Lory Link

Click photo to visit gallery

Companion Cardinal Lory
© Nathan Rupert [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Cardinal Lory makes forays between the many islands it inhabits. It has recently been reported from Ontong Java atoll (string of small coral islands) where it was not seen previously.

Academic Research

Related publications: Chalcopsitta cardinalis

Species Wild Status

World Population:

Unknown, stable.

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern

CITES Listing:

Appendix II

Threat Summary:

A BirdLIfe 'restricted-range' species. Most common in coconut plantations and other lowland disturbed sites; less so in lowland and hill forest.

Range:

New Hanover and islands to Buka and Bougainville, E Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands.

Habitat:

Found up to 1200m (3936 ft) in mangrove, woodland, coastal coconut palm plantations and humid primary and secondary forest.

Wild Diet:

Feeds on blossoms of Cocos nucifera in gardens and Elaeocarpus and Syzygium in primary forest; seems to prefer food trees with red flowers. Also takes small berries and fruit.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Noisy and conspicuous; are usually seen flying swiftly overhead in small groups which occasionally move between islands. Feeds in the canopy of flowering trees and coconut palms. Keeps company with the Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus).

Clutch and Egg Size:

2 eggs

Breeding Season:

Begins in August. Nest is in hollow in tree or stump.

Related Links:

Wikipedia

Click photo to visit gallery

Companion Cardinal Lory
© Nathan Rupert [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

The Cardinal Lory makes forays between the many islands it inhabits. It has recently been reported from Ontong Java atoll (string of small coral islands) where it was not seen previously.

Academic Research

Related publications: Chalcopsitta cardinalis

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