Coxen's fig parrot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coxen's fig parrot |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Genus: | Cyclopsitta |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: |
C. d. coxeni
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| Trinomial name | |
| Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni Gould, 1867
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The Coxen's fig parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni) is a very small and rare parrot found in Australia. It's also called the blue-browed, red-faced, or southern fig parrot. This special bird is one of the smallest parrots in Australia. It is a subspecies of the double-eyed fig parrot. Sadly, it is highly endangered, meaning there are very few left in the wild. A famous bird expert named John Gould named this parrot after his brother-in-law, Charles Coxen.
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What Does the Coxen's Fig Parrot Look Like?
The Coxen's fig parrot is about 15 to 16 centimeters long. That's roughly the size of your hand! It looks a bit top-heavy because it has a very short tail and a bigger head. Most of its body is a bright yellowish-green. It has a blue forehead with a few red feathers mixed in. Its cheeks are orange-red, and below them, there's a pretty mauve-blue band.
Female parrots look similar to males, but their colors are a little less bright. These parrots fly very fast and straight, usually above the trees. You can tell them apart from other small parrots by their rounder wings and how they look like they have no tail when flying. Their call is also harsher than some other small parrots.
It's very hard to spot this parrot. This is because it is small, rare, and green. It also stays quiet when it eats and usually hides high up in the trees.
Where Does the Coxen's Fig Parrot Live?
This special parrot lives only in certain parts of Australia. You can find it in southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales. In the past, its home stretched from places like Gympie in the north to the Macleay River in the south. It also lived as far west as the Bunya Mountains.
The Coxen's fig parrot lives in lowland and foothill rainforests. These forests have many fig trees, which are important for the parrot. Sometimes, they might visit fruit trees in gardens or on farms.
How Does the Coxen's Fig Parrot Behave?
How Do They Build Nests?
Like other types of double-eyed fig parrots, the Coxen's fig parrot makes its own nest. It digs a hollow in rotting wood of living or dead trees in the forest. Even though people have found signs of them digging nests, no active nests have ever been seen. This makes it hard to study their breeding habits.
What Do They Eat?
Coxen's fig parrots mostly eat figs and other juicy fruits. They have also been seen drinking nectar from the silky oak tree. Other types of fig parrots are known to eat insect larvae too.
Why Is the Coxen's Fig Parrot Endangered?
The Coxen's fig parrot is listed as endangered by the governments of Queensland and New South Wales. It's also protected under a national law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The main reason this parrot is disappearing is because its rainforest home is being cleared. People are cutting down forests to make space for farms and houses. Logging, which is cutting down trees for wood, also harms their habitat. In the year 2000, experts thought there were fewer than 100 adult parrots left. Their population is spread out and keeps getting smaller.
For these parrots to survive, they need enough food. Their habitat is broken up into small pieces, which makes it hard for them to find food and other parrots. Protecting and restoring their forest homes, even outside of national parks, is super important for their future.
