Blue-fronted lorikeet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue-fronted lorikeet |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Charmosynopsis
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| Species: |
toxopei
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| Synonyms | |
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Charmosyna toxopei |
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The blue-fronted lorikeet (also called the Buru lorikeet) is a small, colorful parrot. It lives only on the Indonesian island of Buru. This makes it an endemic species, meaning it's found nowhere else in the world.
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Discovering the Blue-Fronted Lorikeet
The first scientist from outside Indonesia to describe the blue-fronted lorikeet was Lambertus Johannes Toxopeus. He was a Dutch scientist who studied butterflies. In the 1920s, he managed to catch seven of these birds. The bird's scientific name, Charmosynopsis toxopei, honors him.
Another Dutch scientist, Hendrik Cornelis Siebers, wrote down Toxopeus's findings in 1930. This helped introduce the blue-fronted lorikeet to the scientific world.
Where They Live and What They Eat
The blue-fronted lorikeet lives in the forests of Buru island. Toxopeus thought they mostly lived in the western part of the Rana plateau. Local people there called the bird utu papua.
These lorikeets prefer forests that are several hundred meters high. They have also been seen in other areas, like coconut farms and disturbed lowland forests.
Local people on the Rana plateau said the birds eat nectar and pollen from flowering trees. In zoos, they have eaten bananas and milk.
How They Behave
Blue-fronted lorikeets usually live in pairs. Sometimes, they can form small groups of up to 10 birds. They grow to be about 16 centimeters (about 6 inches) long.
Toxopeus described their voice as a "ti–ti–ti–ti–tititi shrill." However, this sound might have come from a different type of lorikeet, the red-flanked lorikeet, which was also seen in the same area.
Protecting the Blue-Fronted Lorikeet
The blue-fronted lorikeet is a very rare bird. Its home is shrinking because of logging. Because of this, a group called the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed it as critically endangered. This means it is at a very high risk of becoming extinct.
To help protect these special birds, two protected areas have been set up on Buru island. These are Gunung Kapalat Mada, which is about 1,380 square kilometers (533 square miles), and Waeapo, which is about 50 square kilometers (19 square miles). These areas help keep the lorikeets' habitat safe.
