Member Login

Username

Password

Auto-login for future visits

Join or Renew Today!

Membership Benefits:

Close Button

Vernal Hanging Parrot

 (Loriculus vernalis)

Also known as: Green Hanging Parrot, Indian Hanging Parrot, Indian Lorikeet

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild juvenile Vernal Hanging Parrot
© Melvin Yap [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

Hanging parrots roost (rest) upside down high in the rainforest canopy.

Academic Research

Related publications: Loriculus vernalis

Species Profile

Genus: Loriculus | Species: vernalis

Size:

13cm (5 in)

Weight:

28g (1 oz)

Subspecies including nominate:

one

Colour Adult:

Male-small green parrot with blue patch on throat; red rump and uppertail coverts. Bill soft red. Eye white.  Female-as in male but blue on throat minimal or absent.

Colour Juvenile:

As in adults but forehead and cheeks dull grey/green; blue on throat absent; rump dull red washed with green.  Bill pale orange. Eye brown.

Call:

Squeaky and high-pitched in flight or at rest; also sharp and shrill notes. Feeding in silence with occasional soft chuckling.

Listen Now

Video Links:

Video 1 | Video 2 | Video 3

More Information:

Avibase

Content Sources:

CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
ML Media Collection Catalogue 113675, Vernal Hanging Parrot Loriculus vernalis, Macaulay, Linda, Viet Nam, Feb. 3 2000, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Site
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Parrots: Their Care and Breeding, Low, 1986.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild juvenile Vernal Hanging Parrot
© Melvin Yap [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

Hanging parrots roost (rest) upside down high in the rainforest canopy.

Academic Research

Related publications: Loriculus vernalis

Species Care

Captive Status:

Limited number in captivity.

Longevity:

Not recorded.

Housing:

Outdoor secure aviary, minimum length 1.5m (5 ft) with enclosed shelter for 1 or 2 pairs. A planted aviary is ideal, with cleaning of the plants a necessity.

Diet:

Fruits such as: apple and pear, cut into halves; also fruits in season such as pomegranate, guava and cactus fruits; berries such as blackberries and redcurrants; small seeds such as canary, and soaked oats; spray millet; sponge cake and nectar; insects such as mealworms, maggots and ant pupae, especially for feeding young.

Enrichment:

Not recorded.

Nest Box Size:

106cm (41.3") long, 11cm (4.3") internal diameter, vertical box.

Clutch Size:

3 to 4

Incubation Time:

20 days

Fledging Age:

5 weeks

Hatch Weight:

Not recorded.

Peak Weight:

Not recorded.

Weaning Weight:

Not recorded.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild juvenile Vernal Hanging Parrot
© Melvin Yap [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

Hanging parrots roost (rest) upside down high in the rainforest canopy.

Academic Research

Related publications: Loriculus vernalis

Species Wild Status

World Population:

Unknown, stable.

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern

CITES Listing:

Appendix II

Threat Summary:

Not globally threatened. Very common on Andaman and Nicobar Islands and reasonably so in S Thailand. Was apparently common in Cambodia around 1930. Extremely rare in China.

Range:

SW India (peninsula) and up east coast to W Bengal and NE India, Bangladesh, to S China, and Indochina to Thailand. Also Andaman Islands and Mergui Archipelago.

Habitat:

Found up to 1800m (5904 ft). Occurs in a variety of areas such as evergreen and deciduous forest, forest edge, clearings, secondary growth forest, brush, bamboo thickets, orchards and overgrown cultivated areas.

Wild Diet:

Forages on berries, figs (Ficus), flower nectar notably Erythrina, Eucalyptus, mistletoe and Salmalia malabarica; also seeds of Casuarina, Tectona grandis and bamboo. Can damage local crops of guavas (Psidium) and loquats (Eriobotrya japonica).

Ecology and Behaviour:

Not visually conspicuous, but not shy either; feeding is in canopy and very acrobatic in nature. Found in pairs, family parties or small flocks. Easily approached.

Clutch and Egg Size:

3 to 4 broadly ovate eggs, 19.0 x 16.0mm (0.7 x 0.6 in).

Breeding Season:

January-April. Nest is in hollow in rotten tree branch or stem.

Related Links:

Wikipedia
 

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild juvenile Vernal Hanging Parrot
© Melvin Yap [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

Hanging parrots roost (rest) upside down high in the rainforest canopy.

Academic Research

Related publications: Loriculus vernalis

Members Only Resources

Please log-in now to find more research, resources and tools.

Not a Member?

Find more great information:

Gain exclusive access to 600+ pages of additional research, seminars and podcasts, specialists to ask your toughest questions, and dozens of other fun resources - when you become a WPT member.

Already a Member?

Encyclopedia

Search by:
Common Name


Geographic Location


Type of Parrot


Taxonomic Name


Sign Up to Stay Informed




Become A WPT Member Check out the Latest Podcasts