Violet-necked lory facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Violet-necked lory
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittaculidae
Genus:	Eos
Species:	E. squamata
Binomial name
Eos squamata (Boddaert, 1783)
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The violet-necked lory (Eos squamata) is a super colorful type of parrot. It belongs to the Psittaculidae family, which includes many beautiful parrots. This bird lives only in Indonesia, mainly in the northern Maluku Islands and some islands in West Papua. You can find it in warm, wet forests near the coast, including mangrove forests.

What Does This Colorful Bird Look Like?

The violet-necked lory is about 27 centimeters (11 inches) long. It looks a lot like the female eclectus parrot, but it has a bright orange-yellow beak. Most of its body is red and blue, with a blue tummy.

The amount of blue on its neck changes depending on where the bird lives. Its wings have red and black feathers. The tail is a pretty purple-red color.

Where Does Its Name Come From?

Scientists give every animal a special two-part name. This helps everyone around the world know exactly which animal they are talking about. This system is called taxonomy.

The violet-necked lory was first described in 1780. A French scientist named Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon wrote about it. He saw a bird from an island called Gebe in Indonesia. Later, in 1783, a Dutch scientist named Pieter Boddaert gave it the scientific name Psittacus squamatus.

Today, the violet-necked lory is in a group (or genus) called Eos. This group name was given by a German scientist, Johann Georg Wagler, in 1832. The name Eos comes from an old Greek word meaning "dawn." The second part of its name, squamata, comes from a Latin word meaning "scaled." This might refer to the pattern of its feathers.

Different Types of Violet-necked Lories

There are three main types, or subspecies, of the violet-necked lory:

• E. s. riciniata (Bechstein, 1811) – This type lives in the northern Moluccas.
• E. s. obiensis Rothschild, 1899 – You can find this type on Obi and Bisa Islands. These are in the north-central Moluccas.
• E. s. squamata (Boddaert, 1783) – This type lives on the islands west of West Papua.

Images for kids

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  Front view of a violet-necked lory

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  Two violet-necked lories in a tree

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  A violet-necked lory at an aquarium

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  A violet-necked lory at a bird park