Taranta dværgpapegøje (Agapornis taranta) - Mørkfaktor – D Grøn og DD Grøn
Mørkegrøn (D Grøn) Agapornis taranta (1,0). Generelt set fremtræder fuglen mørkere i hele sin grønne fjerdragt, som ikke changerer i så mange grønne nuancer. Den grønne farve kan virke lidt blålig og dermed mere ”kold” i farvetonen
Som det allerede er anført andetsteds, så er www.birdkeeper.dk ikke et forum for mutationsfugle på nær et par enkelte undtagelser. En af disse undtagelser er mørkfaktor farvemutationerne, der er opstået hos Agapornis taranta (Taranta dværgpapegøje). Jeg har altid været en stor fan af denne art, så da jeg for et par år siden så den Olivengrønne farvemutation for første gang, faldt jeg pladask for den, og jeg kunne herefter ikke få denne meget smukke farvemutation ud af mine tanker. Imidlertid var det ikke på det pågældende tidspunkt umiddelbart muligt at anskaffe denne farvemutation i Danmark, hvilket jeg jo egentlig godt kan forstå, for når man ejer denne farvemutation, der er så smuk, så vil man naturligvis ikke af med den. Det lykkedes mig derfor først i foråret 2010 at komme ”et stykke ad vejen”, da jeg anskaffede et par Mørkegrønne farvemutationer hos en hollandsk opdrætter, hvor jeg egentlig kun havde aftalt at hente en række vildtfarvede eksemplarer. I løbet af samme sommer kom jeg i kontakt med en belgisk fugleholder, der også gjorde sig inden for mørkfaktor farvemutationer af Agapornis taranta. I september 2010 – i forbindelse med for BVA Masters 2010 – gik turen derfor også til denne belgiske fugleholder. Udover Mørkegrønne farvemutationer havde han også et pragteksemplar af den Olivengrønne farvemutation siddende, og det kriblede i mine fingre for at få denne utroligt store og smukke fugl med hjem til Danmark. Det skete ikke uden sværdslag, og fuglen endte med at blive den indtil nu dyreste dværgpapegøje, som jeg har købt, hvilket jeg bestemt ikke har fortrudt.
I denne artikel benyttes primært de gængse danske farvemutationsbetegnelser for disse mørkfaktor-fugle, som henholdsvis er Mørkegrøn og Olivengrøn. De gældende internationale betegnelser for disse farvemutationer er dog ”D Grøn” (D = det engelske ord Dark = mørk) for Mørkegrøn og ”DD Grøn” (DD = Double Dark = dobbelt mørk) for Olivengrøn.
Den Olivengrønne farvemutation blandt slægten dværgpapegøjer (Agapornis) opstod i øvrigt først hos den Rosenhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis r. roseicollis), nemlig helt tilbage i 1968 i Australien, og fra begyndelsen af 1980’erne arbejdede jeg med mørkfaktor farvemutationer hos denne art, hvorfor Mørkegrønne og Olivengrønne farvemutationer således ikke var helt ukendte for mig.
Mørkegrøn (D Grøn) Agapornis taranta (0,1). Generelt set fremtræder fuglen mørkere i hele sin grønne fjerdragt, som ikke changerer i så mange grønne nuancer. Den grønne farve kan virke lidt blålig og dermed mere ”kold” i farvetonen
Farvebeskrivelse
Mørkhedsfaktoren er alene en strukturel ændring i fuglens grønne fjer (se nedenfor), hvilket medfører, at fugle, der bærer denne egenskab, for det menneskelige øje fremtræder enten mørkegrøn eller olivengrøn i forhold til den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta (for en farveskrivelse af den vildtfarvede fugl henvises til særskilt artikel om Taranta dværgpapegøjen på www.birdkeeper.dk).
Nedenfor følger en farvebeskrivelse af den ”grønne serie” af mørkfaktor farvemutationer inden for Agapornis taranta:
Mørkegrøn farvemutation (D Grøn):
Hannen: Panden indtil den forreste del af overhovedet (isse) og en smal ring omkring øjnene er røde. Kinder, hals og halssider er dybt mørkegrønne, der gradvist går over i en lidt lysere nuance på brystet, maven (bugen), kropssider, undergump og hale. Ryg og vingedækfjer mørkegrønne. Overhaledækfjer ligeledes mørkegrønne, underhaledækfjerene er en nuance lysere. Øvrige farver er som hos den vildtfarvede fugl.
Hunnen: Hunfuglen mangler helt de røde fjerfarver i panden og omkring øjnene, men har i stedet i stedet en smal og meget lidt påfaldende grøn fjerring rundt om øjnene. Undervingedækfjer er sorte
med mørkegrønt. Den øvrige del af fuglen ligner den mørkegrønne han.
Det kan være svært for det utrænede øje at se, at der er tale om en Mørkegrøn farvemutation. Denne farvemutation vil være lettere at udpege, når man har et vildtfarvet eksemplar siddende ved siden af. Det er i øvrigt mit indtryk, at den Mørkegrønne farvemutations fjerdragt ikke changerer i samme varme (smaragd)grønne nuancer, som man ser det i fjerdragten hos den vildtfarvede fugl.
Jeg har i øvrigt en Mørkegrøn hanfugl, som ved visse lysindfald har et tydeligt olivengrønt skær i hovedet og på halssider, som kan ses nedenfor.
Olivengrøn farvemutation (DD Grøn):
Hannen: Panden
indtil den forreste del af overhovedet (isse) og en smal ring omkring øjnene er røde. Kinder, hals og halssider olivengrønne, som gradvist går over i en lidt lysere nuance på brystet, maven (bugen), kropssider, undergump og
hale. Ryg og vingedækfjer olivengrønne. Overhaledækfjer olivengrønne, underhaledækfjerene er en anelse lysere. Øvrige farver er som hos den vildtfarvede fugl.
Hunnen: Hunfuglen mangler
helt de røde fjerfarver i panden og omkring øjenene, men har i stedet en smal og meget lidt påfaldende olivengul fjerring rundt om øjnene. Undervingedækfjer er sorte med olivengrønt. Den øvrige del af fuglen
ligner den olivengrønne han.
Mørkegrøn (D Grøn) Agapornis taranta (1,0). Generelt set fremtræder fuglen mørkere i hele sin grønne fjerdragt, som ikke changerer i så mange grønne nuancer. Den grønne farve kan virke lidt blålig og dermed mindre varm i farvetonen. Her ses en af mine egne avlshanner, der hvis man ser den i sollys faktisk virker olivengrøn, og kan henlede tankerne på en DF Misty (jf. nedenfor)
Lidt historie
Det vides ikke med sikkerhed, hvornår mørkfaktor fugle opstod hos Agapornis taranta, men flere kilder peger på, at den opstod i Holland i begyndelsen eller midten af 1990’erne. Den Mørkegrønne farvemutation afviger kun ganske lidt fra den vildtfarvede fugl, hvorfor den måske i virkeligheden har eksisteret i endnu længere tid, dog uden at have været erkendt.
For ikke-kyndige fugleholdere er det ofte sådan, at man skal have adgang til flere fugle, før man med fuldstændig sikkerhed kan afgøre, at der er tale om den Mørkegrønne farvemutation. Man kan nemlig ikke så let - som man f.eks. kender det fra den Mørkegrønne farvemutation hos den Rosenhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis r. roseicollis) - afgøre, at der er tale om en Mørkegrøn farvemutation ved blot at se på fuglens blå overhaledækfjer, der hos den Mørkegrønne Agapornis r. roseicollis er tydeligt mørkeblå, medens de er lys (himmel)blå hos den vildtfarvede A. r. roseicollis. A. taranta har nemlig ikke nogen blå overhaledækfjer, idet dette område på fuglen – ligesom resten af kroppen – er grøn.
Når talen falder på den Olivengrønne farvemutation, så er der dog ingen tvivl, den adskiller sig synligt meget fra såvel den vildtfarvede som den Mørkegrønne Agapornis taranta.
Mørkegrøn (D Grøn) Agapornis taranta (0,1). Generelt set fremtræder fuglen mørkere i hele sin grønne fjerdragt, som ikke changerer i så mange grønne nuancer. Den grønne farve kan virke lidt blålig og dermed mindre varm i farvetonen. Her ses en af mine egne avlshunner. Jeg har ikke set ovennævnte olivengrønne skær på de mørkegrønne hunner
Arvelighed
Mørkfaktor formerne af Agapornis taranta er - ligesom for øvrige farvemutationers vedkommende - ikke udtryk for en selvstændige arter, men er resultatet af en ændring af arveanlæggene hos den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta. Denne genetiske ændring giver sig udslag i en anden fænotype (fjerdragtens fremtoning), som afviger fra den vildtfarvedes udseende ved hovedsageligt at have en mørkere grøn, subsidiært olivengrøn, fjerdragt i stedet for – som i naturen – hovedsageligt at være smaragdgrøn, hvortil kommer, at ændringerne er arvelige.
Mørkfaktor formerne af Agapornis taranta er såkaldte dominante farvemutationer, hvilket vil sige, at de ”overstyrer” den grønne farve hos den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta. Mere præcist så er mørkfaktor-fuglene ufuldstændigt dominante farvemutationer, og fugle med denne arvelighed ikke kan være split for Mørkegrøn eller Olivengrøn (den mørke faktor kan altså ikke være skjult i en fugls arveanlæg (genotype) uden at være synlig i fænotypen).
Mørkegrøn betegnes som enkelt faktor mørk eller ”D Grøn”, og Olivengrøn betegnes som dobbelt faktor mørk eller ”DD Grøn”. Da kromosomer forekommer parvis, kan en fugl ikke have mere end to mørkhedsfaktorer, idet der muteres èn gang på hvert kromosom.
Nedarvningen af mørkhedsfaktoren er knyttet til andre kromosomer end kønskromosomerne, de såkaldte også for autosomer, og betegnes som autosomal nedarvning i modsætning til kønsbunden arvelighed, hvor nedarvingen er knyttet til fuglens kønskromosomer.
Den mørke faktor skyldes ikke – hvad man ellers skulle tro - et højere indhold af eumelanin (det mørke pigment) i fjeren, men er en strukturel ændring af fjeren i form af en formindskelse af fjerens ”spongy zone”. Den sorte melamin i fjerens midte påvirker dermed i større grad refleksionen af de blå farver i ”spongy zonen”, som bliver mørkere, hvorefter man får en Mørkegrøn fugl. Bliver ”spongy zonen” endnu mindre, så bliver resultatet en endnu mørkere fugl, altså en Olivengrøn. Da det alene er ”spongy zonen” i fuglens fjer, der påvirkes ved muteringen, så ændres farven på mørkfaktor fuglens næb, øjenfarve, fødder og kløer ikke, hvilket betyder, at farven på fuglens fødder og kløer er den samme, som hos den vildtfarvede fugl. Det samme gælder den røde farve i pande og omkring øjnene på hanfuglen (som jo ikke er farvet med eumelamin, men med psittacin, hvorfor den ikke påvirkes).
Som følge af de strukturelle ændringer specielt hos den Olivengrønne mutation, så bliver afstanden større mellem den enkelte fjers stråler og bistråler, hvilket betyder, at en Olivengrøn farvemutation fremstår med en mere ”grovkornet” og løsere fjerdragt, der slet ikke er så tætsiddende (glat) og stram, som hos den vildtfarvede fugl. Af den grund kan det derfor heller ikke anbefales at parre Olivengrøn på Olivengrøn, da det bliver endnu mere synligt ved denne konstellation.
Efter de gængse arvelighedsregler for de mørke faktorer, arves denne egenskab således:
Sammenparring | Matematisk gennemsnit for avlsresultat | Bemærkning | |
1,0 (evt. 0,1) | 1,0 (evt. 0,1) | ||
Grøn | Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) | 50 % Grøn (uden mørk faktor) 50 % Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) | |
Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) | Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) | 25 % Grøn (uden mørk faktor) 50 % Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) 5 % Olivengrøn (dobbelt faktor) | Denne kombination er at foretrække, da det giver dobbelt faktor fugle af bedre kvalitet. |
Grøn | Olivengrøn (dobbelt faktor) | 100 % Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) | |
Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) | Olivengrøn (dobbelt faktor) | 50 % Mørkegrøn (enkelt faktor) 50 % Olivengrøn (dobbelt faktor) | |
Olivengrøn (dobbelt faktor) | Olivengrøn (dobbelt faktor) | 100 % Olivengrøn (dobbelt faktor) |
Anmærkning:
Mørkfaktor farvemutationer arves ufuldstændigt dominant, hvorfor en mørkfaktorfugl aldrig kan være split for Mørkegrøn eller Olivengrøn. Fuglens arvemasse er med andre ord altid synlig i fjerdragten i modsætning til f.eks. de recessive farvemutationer, hvilket gør det lettere som opdrætter at arbejde med denne form for farvemutationer.
Olivengrøn (DD Grøn) Agapornis taranta (1,0). Her ser man tydeligt en forskel i forhold til den vildtfarvede fugl, idet hele den grønne fjerdragt er erstattet af en ren olivengrøn farve. Bemærk hvor grovkornet fjerdragten fremtræder
Den mørke faktor kan også forefindes hos fugle med blå fjerdragt, som man f.eks. kan se hos den blå farvemutation af Sorthovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis personatus), som når den tilføres en enkelt mørk faktor betegnes Koboltblå (internationalt navn: ”D Blå”) og ved to mørke faktorer betegnes Mauve (internationalt navn: ”DD Blå”).
Mørkegrønne fugle af høj kvalitet kan uden forbehold anvendes ved avlen af vildtfarvede eksemplarer, da de vildtfarvede fugle, der kommer fra en parring af Mørkegrøn med Mørkegrøn ofte kan være mere modstandsdygtige og stærkere. Denne konstellation af to Mørkegrønne fugle giver både vildtfarvede, Mørkegrønne og Olivengrønne unger uden, at det påvirker den vildtfarvede fugl. Samtidig er fordelen ved den dominante arvelighed, at fuglens genetiske potentiale altid er synligt i modsætning til, når man arbejder med de recessive farvemutationer. Enhver fugls genetiske baggrund er derfor umiddelbart synlig på baggrund af fuglens udseende.
Olivengrøn (DD Grøn) Agapornis taranta (0,1). Her ser man tydeligt en forskel i forhold til den vildtfarvede fugl, idet hele den grønne fjerdragt er erstattet af en ren olivengrøn farve. Bemærk hvor grovkornet fjerdragten fremtræder
Kort om andre farvemutationer hos Agapornis taranta
Farvemutationer er i stadig udvikling, og det gælder også i forhold til Agapornis taranta. Her skal blot meget kort omtales nogle af de øvrige farvemutationer, som er opstået hos denne art:
Misty
Den
såkaldte Misty (direkte oversat fra engelsk betyder ”misty” diset, tåget, eller sløret) farvemutation er også er opstået i Holland. Den er kendetegnet ved, at fjerdragtens normale mængde af eumelanin er reduceret
med omkring 20 %, hvorfor de fremtræder noget lysere grønne end den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta, hvorved man kan sige, at det er den diametrale modsætning til mørkfaktor farvemutationerne.
Misty farvemutationen fås både i enkeltfaktor og dobbeltfaktor og er også ufuldstændig dominant, hvilket betyder, at der ikke findes splitfugle, og nedarvingen er ligeledes autosomal.
Det bør tilstræbes udelukkende at opdrætte Misty farvemutationer uden mørkhedsfaktorer, da kun sådanne fugle viser Misty faktoren tydeligt. Misty farvemutationen viser sig som en afbleget (mat) Olivengrøn fjerdragt med et let lysebrunt anstrøg. Dette ses især tydeligt, når der er tale om dobbeltfaktor Misty fugle.
Den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta optræder
med en omfattende vifte af grønlige nuancer i fjerdragten, fra lysegrøn til næsten mørkegrøn, vel at mærke uden, at der er tale om fugle med mørkhedsfaktoren. Det kan derfor i mange situationer være vanskeligt
bestemme Misty farvemutationen, og det vil for den nye fugleholder være en udfordring at skelne en EF Misty fra en mørk variant af den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta. Næsten helt umuligt bliver det at bestemme fugle, der er
tilført mørkhedsfaktoren. Den nemmeste måde at kategorisere DF Misty er, hvis de ikke er blandet med andre former for farvemutationer.
Fallow (Falbe)
Falbe farvemutationen opdeles i to forskellige typer,
nemlig:
Bronze Fallow, der ligeledes nedarves autosomalt recessiv i forhold til den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta. Denne farvemutation opstod ligeledes i Holland i midten af 1990’erne. De sorte fjer er nærmest brunlige på denne farvemutation og hannens røde hovedfarve er lysere.
Pale Fallow, der er en farvemutation, som nedarves autosomal recessiv i forhold til den vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta. Den opstod hos den tyske opdrætter Wilhelm Schoon allerede i 1999, og da fuglen er nærmest helt gullig med røde øjne, troede man, at der var tale om en Lutino, hvilket ikke var tilfældet. Oprindeligt fik W. Schoon denne farvemutation efter et vildtfarvet par, men fuglen døde desværre af en byld allerede året efter. I 2005 fik W. Schoon endnu en sådan gullig hanfugl, som det sammen med endnu en hunfugl er lykkedes at lave splitfugle på ved at parre dem ind med vildtfarvede fugle.
Begge mutationer kendetegnes ved den
røde øjenfarve, og er en form for albinisme (hvilket også kan ses på føddernes og kløernes lyse farve), dog er fuglen ikke hvid, men har i kraft af en kraftig eumelamin reduktion en lys grøn kropsfarve.
Lutino
Det siges, at der er opstået en Lutino farvemutation af Agapornis taranta i Portugal, som altså skulle være en fugl med Ino faktor. I skrivende stund har jeg ikke yderligere
oplysninger om denne fugl, men det er givet, at Agapornis taranta i lighed med de øvrige Agapornis-arter har potentialet til, at der kan opstå en Lutino form. For et par år siden skulle en Lutino fugl ligeledes
være opstået i Belgien, men den døde allerede efter et par måneder.
Der er også beretninger om recessive Gulbrogede farvemutationer ligesom der også skulle findes – sandsynligvis - modifikationer, der har røde strubefjer.
Olivengrøn (DD Grøn) Agapornis taranta (1,0), en af mine egne avlsfugle
Målrettet avlsarbejde med mørkhedsfaktoren baseret på kvalitet
Opdræt af mørkfaktor farvemutationer byder sjældent på problemer, dog skal det nævnes, at da mørkfaktor farvemutationer af Agapornis r. roseicollis for alvor kom til Danmark i løbet af 1980’erne, så var der store problemer med denne farvemutation som følge af indavl. Det gav sig bl.a. udslag i, at de Olivengrønne eksemplarer af denne art undertiden var ekstremt små af størrelse ligesom man ofte kunne se fugle med skæve og indadvendte fødder og tæer. Det er derfor også i forbindelse med avl af mørkfaktor farvemutationer af Agapornis taranta vigtigt at holde den vildtfarvede form inde i avlsarbejdet for til stadighed at sikre et sundt genetisk materiale.
Det er samtidig anbefalelsesværdigt at avle Mørkegrøn på Mørkegrøn, da kvaliteten af de Olivengrønne fugle oftere vil være synligt bedre, frem for at parre Olivengrøn på Olivengrøn for at få flest mulige Olivengrønne fugle på kortest mulig tid. Resultatet af sådan selektiv avl med Mørkegrøn på Mørkegrøn for at få Olivengrøn er, at man kan fremelske Olivengrønne fugle, der har en fjerdragt, som er mindre ”grovkornet”, end de fugle, som bliver resultatet af sammenparring af to Olivengrønne fugle.
Forudsætningen for mutationsfugle af høj kvalitet er som nævnt, at man altid har rådighed over vildtfarvede fugle af høj kvalitet. Derfor arbejder jeg også inden for inden for Agapornis taranta med 2 stammer, dels en fuldstændig ”mutationsfri” vildtfarvet stamme, dels en stamme, der indeholder mørkhedsfaktoren, enten som enkelt eller dobbelt faktor. Den ”mutationsfri” stamme bruges som referencegrundlag i forhold til den vildtfarvede fugl, og stammen med mørkhedsfaktoren vil blive suppleret op med fugle fra den ”mutationsfri” stamme efter behov.
I modsætning til hvad der eksempelvis gælder for farvemutationer inden for dværgpapegøjearterne med hvid øjenring (Agapornis personatus, Agapornis fischeri, Agapornis nigrigenis og Agapornis lilianae), så er der ikke i forhold til Agapornis taranta problemer med, om disse fugle er artsrene. Alligevel bør man tilstræbe alene at købe sine fugle hos seriøse opdrættere, der
- har specialiseret sig inden for Agapornis taranta og dens farvemutationer
- kan fremvise artstypiske forældrefugle
- fører nøje stambog over avlsmaterialet (så indavl undgås), og
- har et langsigtet mål for mutationsavl med udgangspunkt i vildtfarvede fugle.
Som allerede anført andetsteds benytter jeg for mit eget vedkommende de samme principper for at arbejde med farvemutationer, som den navnkundige Poul Frandsen fra Brønshøj gjorde. Han blev kendt for mutationsfugle af høj kvalitet inden for Agapornis personatus (Sorthovedet dværgpapegøje). Poul Frandsen havde - om muligt - altid vildtfarvede fugle ind over avlsarbejdet med farvemutationer, og alligevel så han sig løbende nødt til at aflive et ikke uvæsenligt antal unger/ungfugle, der ikke levede op til hans skrappe kvalitetskrav. Det gjorde hans avlsmateriale unikt. Det kan virke kynisk, men han havde forinden på bitter vis gennem mange år oplevet, hvad det betyder, hvis ikke man sætter ”overlæggeren” højt, bl.a. efter at have prøvet kræfter med farvemutationer af japansk oprindelse.
Pale Fallow er ikke en mørk farvemutation, men en lys, som opstod hos den tyske opdrætter Wilhelm Schoon allerede i 1999. Det er en fantastisk smuk mutation, som det endnu kun er ganske få fugleholdere beskåret at have i sin samling
Erfaringer versus fremtid
Truslen for arbejdet med mørkfaktor-fugle af Agapornis taranta er ikke risikoen for hybridisering med andre Agapornis-arter, som det f.eks. kendes fra Agapornis-arterne med hvid øjenring, hvor transmutationer desværre er meget udbredt. Den reelle trussel for arbejdet med mørkfaktor fugle blandt Agapornis taranta ligger udelukkende i, om man på systematisk vis er i stand til at styre sit avlsarbejde for at undgå indavl. Det er dog mit indtryk, at der efterhånden sidder en del mørkfaktor farvemutationer af Agapornis taranta, og derfor er jeg fortrøstningsfuld m.h.t., at vi kan undgå det, som tilbage i 1980’erne skete med mørkfaktor farvemutationerne hos den Rosenhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis r. roseicollis), hvor bestanden i udgangspunktet var for lille, og hvor visse opdrættere var alt for ivrige efter hurtigst muligt at skabe mørkfaktor fugle og derfor ukritisk parrede Olivengrønne farvemutationer med hinanden med indavl til følge.
Man bør man altid have vildtfarvede Agapornis taranta uden genetiske modifikationer som referencegrundlag, og så de kan indgå i avlen af fugle med mørkfaktor gener. Jeg kan løbende trække fugle fra den vildtfarvede stamme ind over, som er importeret fra europæiske opdrættere, der har specialiseret sig inden for denne art.
Min stamme af mørkfaktor fugle er stadig under opbygning, så det er spændende at se, hvad det kan føre med sig over de kommende år.
Jørgen Petersen
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About the Blue-naped Parrot (Tanygnathus lucionensis)
A story about determining the right subspecies
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My first encounter with the Tanygnathus genus
Already when I was a teenager back at the beginning of the 1970's, you could occasionally see some very special parrot species at one of the large bird traders in Copenhagen (Denmark), who were known for continuously importing many parrots from the various parrot continents. They were smaller medium to medium sized green parrots with a beautiful mosaic pattern on their wings, which is caused by the different colored wing coverts are being broadly marked with orange-yellow edges (in most of the subspecies) and with an impressive, disproportionately large red beak compared to the rest of the bird. These birds later turned out to be Tanygnathus lucionensis and Tanygnathus megalorynchos, and I remember that on the few occasions I saw them, it was usually just a single bird in the cage tucked away over in a corner of the shop premises, possibly because they were mistakenly included in a shipment from Asia along with a number of other far more popular parrot species.
At this time, nobody really knew anything about these birds, and at the same time they did not seem to have much interest among aviculturists. This has since changed quite a bit because nowadays many aviculturists are fascinated by these parrots.
But what is it that makes parrots from the Tanygnathus genus so fascinating?
Photo 01:
Tanygnathus lucionensis lucionensis: The scientific Latin species name "lucionensis" means coming from Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. This is the nominate subspecies coming from the islands of Luzon and Mindore in the northern parts of the Philippines. The beautiful photo clearly shows the upper side of the nominate subspecies which is characterized by it is having a blue/bluish mantle, back, lower back and upper rump. Photo: Forest Botial-Jarvis-Bataan, Philippines-Macaulay Library ML560592651.
Brief introduction to the whole Tanygnathus genus
Before we delve into the substance and take a closer look at the main focus of this article, namely the determination of the Tanygnathus lucionensis subspecies, here is an overall and very short introduction to the entire Tanygnathus genus:
The Tanygnathus genus represents a group of parrots with predominantly green plumage that are smaller medium to medium sized birds with large - in several instances - very large, heavy mainly red beak (hence the Latin scientific designation, “Tanygnathus”, that means extended, long and beak/jaw, is well-deserved) and a proportionately short, wedge-shaped rounded tail, which is somewhat stepped and is shorter than their wings, giving them - according to the world-renowned Australian ornithologist Joseph M. Forshaw - a “top-heavy” look. There is no prominent notch in the upper mandible and the cere is naked. Sexual dimorphism is slight or absent, and young birds generally appear duller than adults.
The premise of this article is the world's leading, current nomenclature/taxonomy, “THE HOWARD AND MOORE COMPLETE CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD”, version 4 from 2013 and newest version 4.1 from August 2018, ”Errata and Corrigenda to Volume 1”, (used by the world's leading scientists, researchers, ornithologists, curators, etc.) mentions the following species and subspecies belonging to the Tanygnathus genus:
- Great-billed Parrot, Tanygnatus megalorynchos (nominate subspecies + 4 subspecies)
Status in the wild according to BirdLife International: “Least Concern”.
- Blue-naped Parrot, Tanygnathus lucionensis (nominate subspecies + 4 subspecies)
Status in the wild according to BirdLife International: “Near Threatened”.
- Blue-backed Parrot, Tanygnathus sumatranus (nominate subspecies + 4 subspecies)
Status in the wild according to BirdLife International: “Least Concern”, except from the everetti subspecies, they are “Endangered”.
- Black-lored Parrot, Tanygnathus gramineus (nominate subspecies).
Status in the wild according to BirdLife International: “Vulnerable”.
The members of the Tanygnatus genus are closely related to the Eclectus Parrots (the Eclectus genus). However, the most Tanygnathus species are much smaller and are less heavily built than the Eclectus Parrots and thus more elegant. Just as you see with members of the Eclectus genus, Tanygnathus females are also known to be quite aggressive towards males, but in fact some Tanygnathus males can also be aggressive towards females. It can even become so violently that the female's toes can be bitten off. As with the Eclectus Parrots, there is only limited interaction between the sexes in daily life and mutual preening is not something that I yet have experienced in the Tanygnathus species that I have kept for some years.
Genetic evidence has also supported close relationship to the Psittacula genus as it looked like up until 2019. For example, there are many similarities between Tanygnathus megalorhynchus and Psittacula eupatria magnirostris (nowadays Palaeornis eupatria magnirostris, in english Andaman Alexandrine Parakeet); if one abstracts from the fact that the former has a short tail and the latter has a long tail, just try to compare the enormous and amazing beaks of both birds.
This genus is native to Southeast Asia and Melanesia. The overall distribution area is mainly the Philippines, New Guinea, the Moluccas and Sulawesi (the world's 11th largest island, also called Celebes).
In nature, their food mainly consists of fruits (e.g., mangoes), seeds, berries, nuts and insects. Sometimes their food also consists of crops e.g., corn.
What particularly fascinates me about this genus is their disproportionately large beak, which in the vast majority of cases is large and red and thus very prominent, you can't help but focus precisely on it when you look at the bird. It cannot be said that the members of the genus Tanygnathus are brightly colored, but most species/subspecies have an incredibly beautiful mosaic pattern on their wings, which is caused by the different colored wing coverts are being broadly marked with orange-yellow edges (in most of the subspecies). Although some of the birds may appear a little compact, they are very agile and move incredibly elegantly in the branches of the trees.
Kept in human care, these birds appear very shy at first, but gradually they become calmer and, in some cases, they can become completely comfortable with human contact.
None of the four different Tanygnatus species have ever been common within the aviculture, which may be surprising, as they are rather quiet and low-voiced birds that you can become familiar with over time. Having said that, Tanygnathus lucionensis is the "most frequently" occurring species among aviculturists, whereas Tanygnatus megalorynchos and Tanygnathus sumatranus are seen even less often. Very remarkably, Tanygnathus lucionensis has the reverse status in nature where it has become a fragile species with a status of being "Near Threatened". BirdLife International has estimated that there are only 1,500 - 7,000 individuals left in the wild of this species with associated subspecies. Besides, the population development is also decreasing mainly due to logging of trees in its habitats. Neither Tanygnatus megalorynchos nor Tanygnathus sumatranus is nearly threatened in the wild, fortunately they are of the least concern. It is therefore very paradoxical that Tanygnathus lucionensis is the most widespread species among aviculturists in Europe.
Photo 02:
Tanygnathus megalorhynchos sumbensis: This photo shows a subspecies of the biggest species belonging to the Tanygnathus genus, the Great-billed Parrot (Tanygnatus megalorynchos) which also have the largest and most impressive beak of these species. Tanygnatus megalorhynchos sumbensis, comes from the island of Sumba (Lesser Sundas). Photo: Mehd Halaouate.
Lack of reliable knowledge about the Tanygnathus genus
One thing is to have a scientifically worked-out taxonomy that lists and divides the Tanygnathus genus into species and subspecies distributed by geographical distribution areas, another thing is to find reliable sources (field studies, literature, photos, etc.) that describe all the members of this genus in detail and accurately. I have many parrot books, encyclopedias, etc., but I have never managed to find a book with accompanying photos that in a credible manner in detail describe all the various Tanygnathus species with its associated subspecies. At best, this genus is all too often referred to be only peripherally described in these books. Moreover, a number of these descriptions are only superficial, and it is of no use if you have to determine the subspecies of a species that has a number of very comparable subspecies (cf. later). The different parrot books contain almost no photos where one can really compare all the subspecies and see the differences between these. Up until now I haven't been able to find a book or another source of sufficient credibility and accuracy.
With this article, I will try to contribute to creating a little more clarification in relation to some of Tanygnathus lucionensis' subspecies, and that is the focus for the rest of this article. At the same time, it must be emphasized that the present article predominantly deals with taxonomic and morphological issues in order to try to determinate the right subspecies of the Tanygnathus lucionensis that I keep, to which comes some general information about the species in the wild. However, the article does not deal with topics such as keeping, feeding and breeding of Tanygnathus lucionensis in human custody.
A little about Tanygnathus lucionensis in the wild
Very summary, this is a smaller medium sized parrot, around 31 cm in length, primarily green except for a light blue rear crown and nape, pale blue lower back and rump (cf. subspecies later), shoulders with broad orange-yellow edges on black wing coverts, and blackish underwings with green underwing coverts.
As already mentioned, this species is listed as “Near Threatened” by BirdLife International because there are some indications that it has a moderately small, fragmented population, and it may be undergoing a continuing decline due to habitat loss (logging) and trapping. However, little is still known about the population size, population structure and threats to this species.
Tanygnathus lucionensis is present throughout the Philippines, where there are records from at least 45 islands, plus the Talaud Islands, Indonesia, and islands off north-east Borneo belonging to Malaysia (e.g., Kota Kinabalu, which is a very popular photo spot for tourists interested in this species) and it is therefore not a country endemic species.
It was common on most islands in the Philippines a century or less ago, but has suffered declines since on such a scale that it is now rare or extinct on many islands. However, it does survive in small pockets of habitat on the smaller islands, so that its status overall is difficult for BirdLife International to assess. Moreover, it is still fairly numerous in some areas of Palawan and on Tawi-Tawi, and high numbers should be present in a large tract of forest on Talaud. Intensive habitat loss and trapping have made this species scarce on most islands except Mindoro and Palawan, but still a local animal protection organization has raised concerns over the increasing illegal trade of this bird on Palawan.
It also occurs in urban areas such as several national parks within the Philippines: Bataan, Quezon and Minalungaw.
As previously stated, BirdLife International's current estimate of the number of Tanygnathus lucionensis (incl. subspecies) is 1,500 - 7,000 mature individuals, while the population development is described as declining owing to habitat degradation from agricultural expansion and logging pressures to which comes illegal trapping for the cagebird trade. It is a bird of closed and open forest formations, including secondary forests, coconut and banana plantations and mangrove, chiefly in lowland and coastal areas, up to 1,000 m. It is usually found in flocks of up to 12 individuals which roost communally and make regular dawn and dusk flights between feeding and roosting areas. Breeding takes place in a hole in a tree in from April till July.
Photo 03:
Tanygnathus lucionensis lucionensis: When you see photos of these birds from the nature, you most often see them sitting in the tall tree crowns where they prefer to be. Although some of the birds may appear a little compact, they are very agile and move incredibly elegantly in the branches of the trees. Photo: Stephan Lorenz-Bataan, Philippines-Macaulay Library ML563667891.
The scientifically recognized subspecies of Tanygnathus lucionensis
“THE HOWARD AND MOORE COMPLETE CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD” (see above) recognizes the following subspecies of Tanygnathus lucionensis:
Note to the above table:
I am fully aware that in the spring of 2023, Arndt-Verlag has issued a new - and final - complete version of the "Namensliste der Papageienarten und Unterarten" (Latin, German and English names). It states the existence of - in relation to Arndt-Verlag's poster with the Tanygnathus genus (“Großschnabelpapageien”) - four "other" Tanygnathus lucionensis subspecies, namely nigrorum, siquijorensis, koikei und paraguenus, without these being further described. These four 4 "other" Tanygnathus lucionensis subspecies are not recognized today by the leading scientific taxonomy, and the deviations that the designation of these subspecies has expressed in its time are today simply considered variance within the framework of the currently recognized subspecies. They are thus assimilated into the current range of subspecies.
So, these four "other" Tanygnathus lucionensis subspecies are ignored here, as the article is based on the world's leading taxonomy, which is based on solid scientific evidence as the basis for the division into species and subspecies (for example, the subspecies, siquijorensis, was in its time solely determined from only a single holotype specimen).
All of the four "other" subspecies mentioned by Arndt-Verlag, koikei and paraguenus, as well as nigrorum and siquijorensis, were all already mentioned as subspecies in the world's first large complete parrot book, called "Papegøjebogen" (in English "The Parrot Book"), which was written by the Dane, J. L Albrecht-Møller, with the assistance of another Dane, Aage V. Nielsen. J. L. Albrecht-Møller was approximately 30 years to write "The Parrot Book", which was completely published in 1973. Unfortunately, the book is only available in Danish and consists of almost 700 densely written pages spread over 3 volumes as well as a completely extra 4th volume filled with color drawings of a large number of species and subspecies of parrots of all kinds.
In fact, it was a third Dane, an internationally highly respected scientist, Finn Salomonsen (zoologist and ornithologist), who first described the subspecies nigrorum and siquijorensi. During an expedition to the Philippines in the years 1951 - 1952, he also did some research on this genus.
As mentioned, none of the above four "other" subspecies have found grace for inclusion in Howard and Moore's taxonomy. Nor does the world's second major scientific "heavyweighter" within bird taxonomy, "The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World", 6th Edition, that was published and released by Cornell University Press in June 2007 take these four "other" subspecies into account.
Photo 04:
Tanygnathus lucionensis lucionensis: As a nest these birds use a hole in a tree where they during April - July are breeding. The nest is often found in secondary forest, at forest edges and in plantations at elevations of up to 1000 m. Photo: Bradley Hacker-Bataan, Philippines-Macaulay Library ML214490541.
My first purchases of Tanygnathus lucionensis did not go as hoped
From my first encounter with this genus back in the early 1970's, it was always in the back of my mind that when the right opportunity presented itself, I would like to acquire such birds, but almost a lifetime should pass before thoughts turned into action in autumn 2018. Here I acquired my first pair of Tanygnathus lucionensis from a foreign breeder who had guaranteed me a 100 % perfect and unrelated pair. As he himself only had one breeding pair, he had procured an unrelated female bird via another aviculturist in a neighboring country. The breeder informed me that the birds were of the subspecies Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis, which, compared to the nominate subspecies, that has a blue/bluish mantle, back, lower back and upper rump, instead has a pure green plumage in the same places. He further stated that it was the subspecies that was found most among aviculturists in Europe. After driving many hundreds of kilometers to collect the birds, it unfortunately turned out that the breeder's own male bird - in contrary to what he had otherwise promised - was not 100 % perfect, as it was basically missing half the length of the tail, which I had not been informed about before my departure from Denmark. Since I had driven so far, and because it was a rather rare bird, I chose, after consultation with my wife, who went along on the trip, to bring both birds home to Denmark, but my disappointment with this seller, who, after all, several times had guaranteed that both birds were 100 % in order, was great. At home in Denmark, the birds were placed in an approximately 6-week long quarantine period and different clinical disease testings were conducted both via PCR and serology, and all test results were negative for ABV/PDD, APV, PBFD, and CPS, etc. Already during the quarantine period, I had observed that the male bird, which unfortunately was hand-reared, had an abnormal behavior. Besides, the fact that it had a habit of plucking its own feathers, it was obviously also mentally disturbed, which resulted in highly unusual behaviour, where it, among other things, sat in the same place around the clock without moving, and it seemed almost terrified of e.g., natural branches, to which was added the fact that it had absolutely no interaction with the female bird. I contacted the seller to return the bird, but he refused to take it back, so as the bird's condition further deteriorated, in consultation with a veterinarian specialized in bird diseases, it was decided to euthanize the bird, so my first attempt at acquiring a pair of this species ended in failure. The female was subsequently sold to another aviculturist who was missing a female bird, as I was of the opinion that it probably would be easier to buy a new pair together.
I had not given up on my dream of keeping this species, but next time the acquisition should be made from a much more serious and experienced breeder of this species. During my search for such a breeder, I sometimes came across other aviculturists who also mentioned that the subspecies Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis is the kind that is most widespread among European aviculturists.
In autumn 2021 - after being registered with a new breeder for nearly 1 year in order to be allowed to buy a pair - I ended up buying a new pair. This breeder sold his birds just as being Tanygnathus lucionensis i.e., without being subspecies determined, but it was clear that even these newly acquired birds did not have the features known for the nominate subspecies in the form of a blue/bluish mantle, back, lower back and upper rump. Once again, these feather areas were completely green on the birds (as they also were on the two pairs of parent birds), so it had to be the subspecies Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis. These birds came from an aviculturist who generally maintains a very high level of hygiene and besides has a bird collection that has been clinically tested for the common parrot diseases. Even so, I always also have newly purchased birds re-tested for diseases in connection with the 6-week quarantine period during which they are physically isolated. All the various tests turned out to be negative, but already a few days into the quarantine period the male still seemed to be a bit lethargic and he sneezed once in a while. So, once again he had to be examined by a veterinarian specialized in bird diseases, who took renewed samples from the bird. After laboratory analysis it turned out that the bird had a special rod bacterium that caused sinusitis, so it was put on a penicillin cure with a targeted antibiotic, but it didn't help, the bird got worse and had to remain in quarantine. Another two cures of other and more extensive penicillin preparations over several weeks (with an intermediate period of rebuilding the intestinal flora in the stomach) took place, but nothing helped, it was a chronic sinusitis, and as the bird's condition now was really bad, it also had to be euthanized without at any point having left the quarantine station for several months. The female bird, which is a big beautiful bird in top condition, had no symptoms at any time (sinusitis is not contagious), so this time I decided to keep the surviving female bird.
In 2022 I had the opportunity to buy several young birds from different breeding pairs from the same breeder, who gave me a price reduction on one of the new birds, because I had lost the male that I had bought from him the year before. All these birds came well throughout the quarantine period and besides the fact that they all seem very vital, they also have a very natural behavior, and I have to say that they really make use of their large beaks to gnaw on the many fresh (and unsprayed/uncontaminated) natural branches with which they continuously are supplied. The birds are all, without exception, completely green in the plumage on the mantle, back, lower back and upper rump, and therefore - once again - it just had to be the subspecies Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis, cf. the information I had received from the various breeders I had spoken to around Europe. Besides, the birds also visually corresponded to a very lifelike drawing in Joseph M. Forshaw's magnificent book, “Parrots of the World” (1st edition, 1973), on page 189, where there is an absolutely excellent color drawing of Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis made by the outstanding illustrator, the late William T. Cooper (the drawing shows an adult male only with a blue nape (rest of the head is green) and with completely green mantle, back, lower back and upper rump).
The doubt about which subspecies arises
From 2018, I - as several other European aviculturists probably also have heard - were told the story that the subspecies we today have in human care in Europe mostly are the Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis subspecies, but over time I became more and more uncertain whether this was true.
After acquiring my birds, I later on bought the poster, “Großschnabelpapageien”, from Arndt-Verlag (Thomas Arndt) containing “all” the Tanygnathus species and subspecies, where a pair of Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis (see photo below) is illustrated with almost completely blue heads in contrast to the adult specimen of this species shown with only a clearly defined blue nape in the color drawing in "Parrots of the World" mentioned above (though Joseph M Forshaw mentions that “blue on crown and occiput variable”, which implies the possibility of a certain form of variance).
Photo 05:
Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis: This photo shows an extract from Arndt-Verlag's poster, “Großschnabelpapageien”, where a male and female of this subspecies are illustrated with almost completely blue heads in contrast to the adult specimen of this species shown with only a clearly defined blue nape in the color drawing in Joseph M. Forshaw’s book, "Parrots of the World".
I was thereafter wondering if it was possible to find a trustworthy and competent person, who actually had been on the Talaud islands and seen how Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis looks like in wildlife, then it once and for all could be discovered whether the birds that I and other European aviculturists have bought in reality are of this species, or maybe a completely different one.
I then remembered that I during the COVID19-crisis was invited to attend in a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, 22nd September 2021 organized by The Avicultural Society of Australia. Here Mr. Mehd Halaouate held a presentation on the topic "Challenges and Rewards of a mixed Collection". It was an extremely interesting presentation, which included some absolutely stunning photos of wildlife birds from Indonesia including Papua. In many cases the presentation also contained photos of parrot species that we - the European aviculturists - only can dream of and read about in books. During this presentation Mehd Halaouate also showed some photos of birds from the Talaud Islands where he had followed the natural bird life.
In November 2021 I therefore contacted Mehd Halaouate, and asked him, if he during his visits to the Talaud Islands had observed the Tanygnathus lucionensis subspecies and maybe even had taken any photos of this subspecies during his stay. Mehd Halaouate got back to me and stated that he actually had observed Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis in its natural habitat and also had taken photos of the birds even though he didn't get many since it was challenging to find them and they weren't kept as pets on these islands. I was completely overwhelmed to see Mehd Halaouate’s photos of these birds from the wild and below you can see a couple of these photos of which one actually shows that a big part of the upper head of this subspecies is blue, not just the crown (nape or neck patch). According to Mehd Halaouate most of the birds in the Talaud Islands have heads where almost all the upper parts are clearly blue, and those birds whose heads not almost were entirely blue appeared to be uncolored fledging juveniles as he were there during the breeding season, August and September.
Photo 06
Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis: This is a photo of an adult, fully colored bird taken by Mehd Halaouate during one of his two trips to Krakelong which is one of the islands that make up the Talaud Islands. Mehd Halaouate was there doing some conservation work for the Red-and-blue lory (Eos histrio).
Photo 07
Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis: This is also a photo taken on Krakelong Island that shows that the intensity of the blue coloration on the head was not present in all birds. According to Mehd Halaouate it was probably because he was there during August and September which is the breeding season where he encountered many fledging juvenile birds.
Renewed contact with Mehd Halaouate
Time passed and I couldn't help thinking that now that my Tanygnathus lucionensis cannot be of the subspecies talautensis, what kind of subspecies is it then?
In the intervening period I had of course done my homework and made my own research and had come to the conclusion that my birds could probably be Tanygnathus lucionenis salvadorii, which, like Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis, is the only other (described) subspecies - approved by Howard and Moore - which has a complete green mantle, back, lower back and upper rump.
This subspecies also appears in Arndt-Verlag's poster, “Großschnabelpapageien”, and is shown in the photo below.
Photo 08
Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii: This photo shows an extract from Arndt-Verlag's poster, “Großschnabelpapageien”. Apart from Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis, this is the only other subspecies - recognized by Howard and Moore - which has a complete green mantle, back, lower back and upper rump.
So, in order to get a second opinion and be quite sure about the subspecies determination I decided to contact Mehd Halaouate again to ask him what subspecies he would judge my Tanygnathus lucionensis to be. I sent him various available color descriptions of the relevant subspecies as well as - not least - photos of my birds, all of which can be seen excerpted below.
Descriptions of the Tanygnathus lucionensis subspecies
As you know, the world's leading current nomenclature/taxonomy, “THE HOWARD AND MOORE COMPLETE CHECKLIST OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD” mentions up to 4 subspecies (hybridus, talautensis, salvadorii and horrisonus) in addition to the nominate subspecies, but unfortunately this work does not contain any descriptions of the individual subspecies. Instead, one has to look in different zoological museums around the world to find stuffed birds of the so-called "holotype specimens" for each subspecies, and this is quite an unmanageable task. I therefore had to find other trustworthy sources that contain color descriptions of the various subspecies:
Source 1 for color description: Joseph M. Forshaw
As already mentioned, it is very unfortunate that there is no credible, scientifically evidence-based literature covering the entire Tanygnathus genus, with correct and detailed descriptions of each subspecies. In the absence of this, I instead rely on the Australian ornithologist Joseph M. Forshaw's impressive book “Parrots of the World”, which however, only mentions 2 subspecies (hybridus and talautensis) besides the nominate subspecies, but the description of the two subspecies here is unfortunately not adequate. However, in the original edition of this book (1st edition, 1973), on page 189, there is an absolutely excellent color drawing of Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis made by the outstanding illustrator, the late William T. Cooper (an adult male only with a blue nape (not on the rest of the head) and completely green mantle, back, lower back and rump).
Source 2 for color description: Thomas Arndt (Arndt-Verlag)
In the well-known "Lexicon of Parrots" (version 3.0), Thomas Arndt mentions the same two subspecies as mentioned by Joseph M. Forshaw (hybridus and talautensis).
However, in his poster, “Großschnabelpapageien”, containing species and subspecies from the Tanygnathus genus, Thomas Arndt shows both the nominate subspecies of Tanygnathus lucionensis and 3 subspecies (hybridus, talautensis and a “new” one, namely salvadorii). If one looks closer at this poster from Thomas Arndt (see above), he has illustrated Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis - both the male and the female - with almost completely blue heads in contrast to the color drawing in "Parrots of the World" (also mentioned above) that shows an adult Tanygnatus lucionensis talautensis with only a blue nape patch and not a blue head. This corresponds to the photos Mehd Halaouate himself took of adult birds of this subspecies during his two visits to the Talaud Islands.
However, and very interesting, on the same poster from Thomas Arndt, he also displays the subspecies Tanygnatus lucionensis salvadorii that in particular deserves attention. This subspecies is shown with only a blue nape and completely green back and rump (and looks very much like the Tanygnatus lucionensis talautensis, that is shown in Joseph M. Forshaw’s book mentioned above).
Source 3 for color description: World Parrot Trust
What is very remarkable is that the World Parrot Trust, on its website - like Joseph M. Forshaw - only mentions the subspecies hybridus and talautensis, but when one read further in the text under the actual description of the two subspecies, World Parrot Trust actually also describes salvadorii under the description of talautensis (they mention that the two different subspecies look the same). How this is possible, I can't quite see through.
Summary overview of visual differences between the individual subspecies
Since there is no adequate and sufficient information on the sizes (length and weight) of the individual subspecies, only selected visual special characteristics for the plumage (color differences) of the individual Tanygnatus lucionensis subspecies are given below:
Note to the above table:
How the fifth subspecies - Tanygnathus lucionensis horrisonus, mentioned by Howard and Moore - looks like, I do not know in details. However, if you read “PEABODY MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, YALE UNIVERSITY BULLETIN 13, “Notes on a Collection of Birds from Mindoro Island, Philippines” by S. Dillon Ripley (Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University) and D. S. Rabor (Biology Department, Silliman University), which was published 31st December 1958 (New Haven, Connecticut), you can read on page 36, that the authors after carefully studies consider “horrisonus” as synonyms of “lucionensis”, which means that it must have blue mantle, back, lower back and upper rump, and my birds don't have these hallmarks. According to the newest version of Howard and Moore “horrisonus” is still recognized as an independent subspecies.
I therefore assume that my birds must be either Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis or Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii, as both of these subspecies have green backs and green upper rumps.
Personally, I strongly believe that my birds are Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii, as I have seen the various adult parents of the birds that I have bought and none of them have a nearly completely upper blue head, but only a blue patch on the nape.
Furthermore, my birds don’t have any blue coloration - nor bluish tinge - on the mantle, back, lower back and the upper rump, and to my knowledge, both the nominate subspecies, Tanygnathus lucionensis lucionensis, and the subspecies, Tanygnathus lucionensis hybridus, clearly have these hallmarks.
I rule out that my birds are crossed with other subspecies, as they have no blue at all on the back or rump, nor do they have more than a clearly defined blue nape patch.
Some of the photo documentations sent to Mehd Halaouate
I sent several photos of my birds to Mehd Halaouate and some them are showed below. All my birds are from last year (2022), except from the bird in front on photo 09 and 13, this bird is from 2021.
The photos of my birds are unfortunately not of the best quality, as they were taken with the zoom-function on my mobile phone and have become somewhat grainy. I should of course also have captured some of the birds and taken photos of them from the front and from the back with spread wings, but since these birds live in aviaries close to some other parrot species that already have laid and are incubating eggs, it was unfortunately not possible to take some better photos for the near future. Here are some photos of my birds:
Photo 09 Photo 10
Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii / (Mantanani Blue-naped Parrot) Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii / (Mantanani Blue-naped Parrot)
Photo 11 Photo 12
Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii / (Mantanani Blue-naped Parrot) Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii / (Mantanani Blue-naped Parrot)
Photo 13 Photo 14
Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii / (Mantanani Blue-naped Parrot) Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii / (Mantanani Blue-naped Parrot)
Mehd Halaouate's assessment
After having read the above descriptions and studied the forwarded photos of my birds, Mehd Halaouate commented that my birds looked stunning and very healthy and furthermore mentioned that in his opinion they look more like Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii. At the same time, one must of course bear in mind that there are color variations among birds in the wild too that can make establishing the right distribution of the bird pretty impossible.
However, according to Mehd Halaouate most of the subspecies that were kept during his time as breeder in Europe, they were coming from Mr. Antonio de Dios in the Philippines (owner of “Birds International Inc.”, a large private parrot breeding farm in the Philippines), and they mostly were Tanygnathus lucionensis salvadorii. The for many aviculturists well-known Antonio de Dios exported a huge number of unique species to Europe especially to Holland and Belgium. Some of the other species he sent were species like Fig parrots, a big number of lories and lorikeet species, Great-billed parrots (Tanygnatus megalorynchos) and Moluccan king parrot subspecies.
Mehd Halaouate also mentioned that he had to search for some of his earlier photos of the Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis to definitively prove how the adult birds of this subspecies looks like in wildlife, some truly unique photos, a few of which can be seen below. It is photos of a pet bird taken at a bird trader in Sulawesi (since the local people in Talaud Islands don’t keep this bird as a pet) and it does INDEED have intensive blue head covering all over the upperparts of the head and even around the eyes.
Photo 15
Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis: I have never seen anything like it. This amazing close-up photo shows an adult and fully colored Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis. The photo clearly shows how most adult birds of this subspecies that live in the wild on the Talaud islands look like i.e., where the blue plumage does not just form a clearly defined neck spot, but instead is spread over most of the upper part of the whole the head. Young birds do not have the same distribution of the blue color in the head. It is a pet bird that sits with a bird dealer on the island of Sulawesi. Photo: Mehd Halaouate.
Photo 16
Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis: This equally amazing close-up photo shows the above pet bird of Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis, just seen from a different angle. For some reason, the local inhabitants of the Talaud Islands do not keep this species as a pet bird, so this individual is photographed on the island of Sulawesi, which is located southwest of the Talaud Islands. The Talaud islands actually make up the area that is called North Sulawesi. Photo: Mehd Halaouate.
According to Mehd Halaouate the poster, “Großschnabelpapageien”, from Arndt-Verlag with the color drawing of Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis is a bit exaggerated with the blue coloration of the head, throat and neck. Mehd Halaouate have never seen any bird with that much blue on the head.
Unexpected challenges in rewilding Tanygnathus parrots
During my dialogue with Mehd Halaouate, he also mentioned the following - for me highly surprising - problem, which is linked to the rewilding of the Tanygnathus parrots, which has been confiscated as a result of smuggling:
A factor which will make things even worse for establishing “the right ID” of many parrots in the wild in the near future is the fact that the forestry department in Indonesia does not have sufficient knowledge about differentiating between subspecies and in some cases even species. They tend to release confiscated parrots from the illegal trade in the wrong distribution area (habitat). As a former manager in World Parrot Trust Mehd Halaouate has had to stop a few of these releases because the parrots did not belong in specific islands they were meant to be released at. The authorities, unfortunately, had managed to do the damage thus these actions will cause the inter- or cross-breeding between the subspecies which will result in new colour variations. The worst result of this is that some subspecies in the nature will lose their purity.
This is an angle that I have not thought of before, and the authorities in the affected countries simply have to try to find a sustainable solution to the problem, so that before rewilding takes place, quality assurance must always be carried out to ensure that the birds are belonging to the birds' original distribution area (habitat), which presupposes a further educational and competence-related upgrade of the authorities' employees.
Also from this perspective, it is very important that we - the serious aviculturists (breeders) - are trying as much as possible to keep our birds pure as these hopefully one day will assist the wild populations. According to Mehd Halaouate the pace in which the illegal trapping and the wildlife trade is proceeding right now, many parrot species, for their survival, will rely on the captive populations, so we - the aviculturists (breeders) - must act responsible, professional and only work with pure birds at the subspecies levels.
Final remarks
I have on earlier occasions tried to initiate a dialogue about the issue of subspecies determination of this genus with some other European aviculturists who keep these birds, but up until now it had seemed that no one really was interested in getting to the bottom of this issue, so they generally just call their birds for Blue-naped Parrots (Tanygnatus lucionensis). I always try to keep my different parrots pure at the subspecies level (except from monotypic taxon) and I always only breed specimens of the same subspecies with each other, and I would strongly encourage other responsible breeders to do the same.
This was the story of not always believing everything you hear from other aviculturists/breeders. It is good to have a healthy skepticism and to try to form your own opinion about things. So, the next time I hear an aviculturist/breeder saying that the subspecies we have the most of in Europe is Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis, I can now for sure say that it is not true and instead tell them a completely different story.
I hope that interested readers have found pleasure in reading this article about an exciting parrot species that there is rarely written many lines about in parrot books and in avicultural magazines.
A great thank you to Mehd Halaouate for having contributed to this article with several unique photos and detailed information about the subspecies of Tanygnathus lucionensis.
Best regards,
Jørgen Petersen
www.birdkeeper.dk
DENMARK
Photo 17
Tanygnathus lucionensis talautensis: I could not resist ending up with showing this close-up profile photo of the magnificent pet bird of this subspecies. I just keep on turning back to study the photos of this very special subspecies with a nearly completely blue head. Photo: Mehd Halaouate.
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