PLATYCERCUS CALEDONICUS - (GMELIN, 1788)
La Perruche à ventre jaune (Platycercus caledonicus) est une perruche vivant en Tasmanie au sud de l'Australie. Son épithète spécifique résulte d'une erreur sur son lieu d'origine : les échantillons ramenés en Europe étaient censés venir de Nouvelle-Calédonie.
Description
Mesurant 36 cm de longueur, c'est la plus grande espèce de son genre. Elle a le ventre et la tête jaune avec les joues bleues et une bande frontale rouge au-dessus du bec. Les plumes du dos et des ailes sont noires bordées de vert, la croupe olive et la longue queue verte bordée de bleu. Les plumes les plus latérales des ailes sont bleu pâle. L'iris est brun, tandis que les pattes sont grises et le bec d'un vert bronze pâle. La femelle est de la même couleur et généralement un peu plus petite que le mâle. Les juvéniles ont la tête et le ventre d'un jaune-vert terne, le dos d'un vert terne, les ailes ont une bande.
La Perruche à ventre jaune Platycercus caledonicus possède deux sous-espèces :
Platycercus caledonicus caledonicus ;
Platycercus caledonicus brownii.
Répartition
On la trouve dans toute la Tasmanie et les îles du détroit de Bass pourvu que l'endroit possède quelques arbres.
Alimentation
Elle est essentiellement végétarienne se nourrissant de graines, de fruits et de fleurs mais elle peut consommer aussi des insectes adultes ou leurs larves.
Reproduction
La saison de reproduction va d'octobre à janvier avec une seule ponte par an. Le site de nidification est généralement le creux d'un tronc d'arbre de plus de 1 m de profondeur situé jusqu'à 30 m au-dessus du sol. La femelle pond quatre ou cinq œufs blancs légèrement brillants, mesurant 30 x 24 mm2 . Les oisillons quittent le nid environ cinq semaines après l'éclosion et restent avec leurs parents pour un mois supplémentaire.
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The green rosella or Tasmanian rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the rosella genus, Platycercus. The male and female are generally similar in plumage, being predominantly black, green, and yellow in colour with a red band above the beak and blue cheeks; however, some females have red-orange colouration on the front of their necks. Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.
Taxonomy
The green rosella was described by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788. The species specific epithet was derived from the mistaken belief the bird was collected from New Caledonia. Alternate common names include Tasmanian rosella, yellow-bellied or yellow-breasted parakeet, and mountain parrot.
Description
Measuring 37 cm (14.5 in) in length, the adult green rosella has a yellow head and underparts with blue cheeks and red frontal band above the beak. The feathers of the back and wings are black with narrow green margins, the is rump yellow-olive, and the long tail is green with blue outer feathers. The wings are green and violet blue. The irises are dark brown and the bill is pale-grey. The legs are grey. The male and female have similar external appearances, except the female may have an orange-red hue in the feathers on the front of the neck, and the female has a smaller beak than the male. and Juvenile birds have an under-wing stripe, which is not present in the adults. Juveniles have dull yellow-green head and underparts and dull green upperparts.
Distribution and habitat
The green rosella is found across Tasmania and Bass Strait islands, and occurs in most habitats with some form of tree cover up to 1500 m above sea level.
Feeding
The green rosella is predominantly herbivorous, consuming seeds, berries, nuts and fruit, as well as flowers, but may also eat insect larvae and insects such as psyllids. They have also partaken of the berries of the common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), as well as Coprosma and Cyathodes, and even leaf buds of the common osier (Salix viminalis). The seeds of the silver wattle (Acacia dealbata) are also eaten.
Breeding
The breeding season is October to January, with one brood. The nesting site is usually a hollow over 1 m (3 ft) deep in a tree trunk anywhere up to 30 m (100 ft) above the ground. A clutch of four or five white and slightly shiny eggs, measuring 30 x 24 mm, is laid. The nestlings leave the nest around five weeks after hatching and remain with their parents for another month.
Description
Mesurant 36 cm de longueur, c'est la plus grande espèce de son genre. Elle a le ventre et la tête jaune avec les joues bleues et une bande frontale rouge au-dessus du bec. Les plumes du dos et des ailes sont noires bordées de vert, la croupe olive et la longue queue verte bordée de bleu. Les plumes les plus latérales des ailes sont bleu pâle. L'iris est brun, tandis que les pattes sont grises et le bec d'un vert bronze pâle. La femelle est de la même couleur et généralement un peu plus petite que le mâle. Les juvéniles ont la tête et le ventre d'un jaune-vert terne, le dos d'un vert terne, les ailes ont une bande.
La Perruche à ventre jaune Platycercus caledonicus possède deux sous-espèces :
Platycercus caledonicus caledonicus ;
Platycercus caledonicus brownii.
Répartition
On la trouve dans toute la Tasmanie et les îles du détroit de Bass pourvu que l'endroit possède quelques arbres.
Alimentation
Elle est essentiellement végétarienne se nourrissant de graines, de fruits et de fleurs mais elle peut consommer aussi des insectes adultes ou leurs larves.
Reproduction
La saison de reproduction va d'octobre à janvier avec une seule ponte par an. Le site de nidification est généralement le creux d'un tronc d'arbre de plus de 1 m de profondeur situé jusqu'à 30 m au-dessus du sol. La femelle pond quatre ou cinq œufs blancs légèrement brillants, mesurant 30 x 24 mm2 . Les oisillons quittent le nid environ cinq semaines après l'éclosion et restent avec leurs parents pour un mois supplémentaire.
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The green rosella or Tasmanian rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) is endemic to Tasmania and Bass Strait islands. At 37 cm (14.5 in) long it is the largest species of the rosella genus, Platycercus. The male and female are generally similar in plumage, being predominantly black, green, and yellow in colour with a red band above the beak and blue cheeks; however, some females have red-orange colouration on the front of their necks. Its diet is composed of seeds, fruit, berries and flowers, as well as insects and insect larvae.
Taxonomy
The green rosella was described by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788. The species specific epithet was derived from the mistaken belief the bird was collected from New Caledonia. Alternate common names include Tasmanian rosella, yellow-bellied or yellow-breasted parakeet, and mountain parrot.
Description
Measuring 37 cm (14.5 in) in length, the adult green rosella has a yellow head and underparts with blue cheeks and red frontal band above the beak. The feathers of the back and wings are black with narrow green margins, the is rump yellow-olive, and the long tail is green with blue outer feathers. The wings are green and violet blue. The irises are dark brown and the bill is pale-grey. The legs are grey. The male and female have similar external appearances, except the female may have an orange-red hue in the feathers on the front of the neck, and the female has a smaller beak than the male. and Juvenile birds have an under-wing stripe, which is not present in the adults. Juveniles have dull yellow-green head and underparts and dull green upperparts.
Distribution and habitat
The green rosella is found across Tasmania and Bass Strait islands, and occurs in most habitats with some form of tree cover up to 1500 m above sea level.
Feeding
The green rosella is predominantly herbivorous, consuming seeds, berries, nuts and fruit, as well as flowers, but may also eat insect larvae and insects such as psyllids. They have also partaken of the berries of the common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), as well as Coprosma and Cyathodes, and even leaf buds of the common osier (Salix viminalis). The seeds of the silver wattle (Acacia dealbata) are also eaten.
Breeding
The breeding season is October to January, with one brood. The nesting site is usually a hollow over 1 m (3 ft) deep in a tree trunk anywhere up to 30 m (100 ft) above the ground. A clutch of four or five white and slightly shiny eggs, measuring 30 x 24 mm, is laid. The nestlings leave the nest around five weeks after hatching and remain with their parents for another month.