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A Most Unusual Psittacine – the Pesquet’s or Vulturine Parrot

Posted by: Frank Indiviglio in Bird Behavior, Bird diet, Bird Species Profiles, Field Notes and Observations on Birds, Fun Stuff, General Bird Care December 17, 2009 4 Comments 16213 Views

You’re not likely to run into a Pesquet’s Parrot ( Psittrichas fulgidas) at your local pet store, as they are quite rarely kept even in zoos.  Also known as the Vulturine or Vulture-headed Parrot, this bird is so unique that I just had to introduce it here.

Shockingly Odd!

Pesquet's ParrotHaving worked for a bird wholesaler during the heyday of parrot imports, I was well-acquainted with many unusual species by the time I first laid eyes on a Pesquet’s.  I had even seen some of the relatively few photos of it that existed at the time.  However, I was awestruck upon coming face to face with a group on my first day as bird keeper at the Bronx Zoo…photos did not do justice to this parrot oddity.

The head and throat are largely bare of feathers, and the beak thin and hooked – making the head look quite small for the 18-inch body.  This imparts, as its alternative names suggest, the appearance of a somewhat offbeat vulture.  But no vulture is clad in the jet black and brilliant red feathers of the Pesquet’s parrot.  I also noticed that, rather than climbing about in typical parrot fashion, these characters hopped, flitting their wings as they went.  I was left “aviculturaly disoriented”!

Diet-Driven Evolution

Diet seems to have guided the loss of head feathers in the true vultures and the Vulturine Parrots.  Both feed on foods that could easily gum up and otherwise foul feathers – carrion in the case of vultures and figs in the case of their parrot namesakes.

Flower blossoms and nectar comprise the remainder of the diet of these highly specialized fig-eaters.

Range and Status

Pesquet’s Parrots are limited in range to mountainous rainforests in an area spanning the length of central New Guinea.  Unlike most other resident parrots, they do not occur on any of the offshore islands.

Their feathers are sought after by certain indigenous peoples, and illegally collected chicks command astronomical prices.  This, along with logging in some areas, has led to their inclusion on Cites Appendix II and a designation of “Vulnerable” by the IUCN.

Please try to visit a zoo that exhibits this amazing bird – you’ll certainly leave with a better appreciation of the great diversity that exists among the world’s parrots.

Further Reading

You can read about the captive breeding of Pesquet’s Parrots here.

 

Pesquet’s Parrot image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Lohachata

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4 comments

  1. avatar
    E.
    January 5, 2010 at 8:05 pm

    I met one of these wonderful parrots at the Houston Zoo a month or two ago. I make a habit of treating the parrots there like people, so I greet them and talk to them and make interesting sounds (if they seem to like it). Most of the parrots were not very responsive that day, but the single Pesquet’s Parrot I stopped by was very interested. As I talked to her softly and made some noises, she came up closer to me, and then, as we stared at each other, she made a hoarse, gravelly call to me, which sounded kinda like “greehhhh”. We shared a wonderful little moment, and I can’t wait to go back and visit her again!

  2. avatar
    findiviglio
    January 5, 2010 at 10:43 pm

    Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.

    Thanks for your interest in our blog and for the interesting story. You’re lucky to have that zoo nearby, it’s not easy to find a Pesquet’s Parrot on exhibit.

    I look forward to hearing from you in the future,

    Good luck, enjoy and please keep me posted.

    Best regards, Frank Indiviglio.

  3. avatar
    Grace Nugi
    March 16, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    I found your post here very interesting. I am from Papua New Guinea and currently doing a study on their ecology and the people’s use of their feathers in traditional dressings. Sadly there hasn’t been very much publications on the vulturine parrot’s in their home range when they are indeed an unusual but unique bird!

  4. avatar
    Frank Indiviglio
    March 16, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    Hello Grace,

    Nice to hear from you; thanks for the kind words and information. I’d enjoy hearing about your work…good luck and please keep me posted, best, Frank

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I believe that I was born with an intense interest in animals, as neither I nor any of my family can recall a time when I was not fascinated by creatures large and small. One might imagine this to be an unfortunate set of circumstances for a person born and raised in the Bronx, but, in actuality, quite the opposite was true. Most importantly, my family encouraged both my interest and the extensive menagerie that sprung from it. My mother and grandmother somehow found ways to cope with the skunks, flying squirrels, octopus, caimans and countless other odd creatures that routinely arrived un-announced at our front door. Assisting in hand-feeding hatchling praying mantises and in eradicating hoards of mosquitoes (I once thought I had discovered “fresh-water brine shrimp” and stocked my tanks with thousands of mosquito larvae!) became second nature to them. My mother went on to become a serious naturalist, and has helped thousands learn about wildlife in her 16 years as a volunteer at the Bronx Zoo. My grandfather actively conspired in my zoo-buildings efforts, regularly appearing with chipmunks, boa constrictors, turtles rescued from the Fulton Fish Market and, especially, unusual marine creatures. It was his passion for seahorses that led me to write a book about them years later. Thank you very much, for a complete biography of my experience click here.
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