Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis p. pullarius & Agapornis p. ugandae)
Mange betragter den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis p. pullarius) som dværgpapegøjeslægtens absolut smukkeste repræsentant, hvilket skyldes dens intensive, smukke farver på hanfuglen, som ses midt i dette foto. Arten hedder Red-faced Lovebird på engelsk, og denne betegnelse er meget rammende, da det alene er ”ansigtet”, og ikke hele hovedet, der er (orange)rødt
En dansk verdenssensation
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis pullarius) har gennem tiderne givet anledning til mange frustrationer blandt fugleholdere, der i årevis forgæves har forsøgt sig med opdræt af denne art. Den har nemlig en helt speciel ynglebiologi, idet den i naturen yngler i termitboer. Artiklens overskrift hentyder til, at det var medforfatteren til ”Papegøjebogen”, danske Aage V. Nielsen fra Vanløse, der helt tilbage i 1960 lykkedes med verdens første - fuldt kontrollerede - opdræt i fangenskab af denne art. Jeg husker, at jeg nogle år senere som dreng læste opdrætsberetningen i ”Stuefuglene” (populært kaldet det ”grønne blad”), som blev udgivet af Foreningen for Fuglevenner, der var kendt som samlingssted for landets førende fugleholdere. Over flere sider beskrev Aage V. Nielsen, hvorledes han havde afprøvet indtil flere forskellige typer redemuligheder og -materialer, og hvor det til sidst lykkedes ham at opdrætte 2 unger i en almindelig redekasse. Dette var dog ikke det første opdræt i fangenskab, idet andre fugleholdere havde opdrættet den tidligere, bl.a. i Tyskland (første gang hos Neubert i 1868), i Storbritannien (hvor det mest kendte er A. A. Prestwichs opdræt i 1957) og i Sydafrika (hos Dale i 1958), men enten var disse opdræt ikke behørigt kontrollerede, eller også gik ungerne som oftest til efter nogle få dage eller uger. Aage V. Nielsens 2 unger levede i mange år. Det er således direkte forkert, når Dirk Van den Abeele i sin bog ”Lovebirds – Owners manuar and reference guide” fra 2005 (ISBN 1852792469) skriver, at det eneste opdræt af Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje i Danmark fandt sted i 2004, men denne bog udmærker sig jo heller ikke ved at gå i dybden med de vildtfarvede dværgpapegøjer, idet bogens fokus er farvemutationer.
Skønt den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje har slægtens suverænt største udbredelsesområde i naturen, er den i fangenskab uden tvivl den mest sjældne af de i alt 8 dværgpapegøjearter, som vi har rådighed over. Den er kendt for at være særdeles vanskelig at få til at yngle, selv om tendensen i det seneste årti giver anledning til en vis optimisme. Det er derfor bestemt ikke en fugleart for begyndere eller amatører, men den kan anbefales meget erfarne opdrættere og eksperter.
Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje adskiller sig på flere måder fra de øvrige dværgpapegøjearter, bl.a. er dens kropsholdning meget rank, dens stemme er svag og væsentligt anderledes, nærmest lidt melodisk, og næbbet er noget mere aflangt og kan minde lidt om næbbene hos den sydamerikanske parakitslægt, Smalnæbsparakitterne (slægten Brotogeris), hvor – pudsigt nok – flere af disse arter også yngler i termitboer. Endelig forekommer den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje mindre intelligent end f.eks. dværgpapegøjearterne med hvid øjenring, hvilket bl.a. giver sig udslag i dens adfærd.
Ghana er et af de mere end 20 afrikanske lande, hvor man finder den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje i naturen, og landet har udgivet dette frimærke med et ret vellignende motiv af arten
Farvebeskrivelse
I ”Papegøjebogen” beskriver J. L. Albrecht-Møller nominatformen (Agapornis p. pullarius) således:
”Hannen: Panden, issen til over øjet, tøjlerne og forreste del af kinderne samt øverste del af struben orangerøde; kroppens overside grøn; overgump lyseblå; underside lysere grøn; vinger grønne; svingfjer mørke med grønne kanter på yderfanen. Undervingedækfjer sorte; vingerand blå; midterste halefjer grønne med blå spidser, de øvrige indefra sorte-røde, sorte-grønne og blå. Iris brun; overnæb mønjerødt, undernæb lysere; løb grå.
Længde: 130 – 150 mm.
Hunnen mindre end hannen; overside lysere; ansigtsfarven lysere og mindre udstrakt; undervingedækfjer grønne; næbbet kortere og mere mat.
Ungerne ligner hunnen, men ansigtsfarven er gullig og han-ungerne har sorte undervingedækfjer”.
Om underarten, ”Uganda Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje” (Agapornis p. ugandae), hedder det:
”Hannen: I alt væsentligt som Agapornis p. pullarius, fra hvilken den kun afviger ved at have en noget lysere blå farve på underryggen.
Hunnen: Overgumpen er undertiden grøn, men med blåt skær. I øvrigt er det ikke muligt at adskille disse 2 arters hunner, hvis man ikke direkte kan sammenligne nogle eksemplarer”.
Jeg har været så heldig at måtte få lov til at se Statens Naturhistoriske Museums (Zoologisk Museums) samling af skindlagte eksemplarer af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje, der også omfatter underarten "ugandae", som adskiller sig fra nominatformen ved at have betydeligt lysere blå overhaledækfjer eller kun et skær af blåt hos hunnerne. De to skind til venstre er underarten, hvoraf eksemplaret yderst til venstre er ekstremt stort, når man står med det i hånden
Hvad mange ikke ved er, at den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje faktisk har en meget smal øjenring bestående af små fjer. Denne øjenring kan variere meget hos de enkelte individer og har intet med den nøgne hvide øjenring at gøre, som man ser hos visse andre dværgpapegøjearter. Nogle gange er øjenringens fjer hvidlig eller gullig og blå, og den er generelt mindre hos hunnerne og kan være meget svær at se.
Som det fremgår af ovennævnte farvebeskrivelse er voksne Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer lette at kønsbestemme, idet hannernes ansigtmaske generelt er mere intensivt farvet og tydeligt markeret. Ind i mellem ses dog også hunner med en intensivt farvet ansigtsmaske, så den helt sikre måde at adskille kønnene på er derfor at se på vingernes farver. Hos hannerne er undervingedækfjerene sorte og vingebuen blå, hvorimod undervingedækfjerene hos hunnerne er grågrønne og vingebuen gul.
Frem til en alder af knapt 25 dage bliver ungernes næb næsten helt sorte, men ved udflyvningen har ungernes overnæb ved roden store store sorte pletter som det f.eks. kendes fra den Rosenhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis r. roseicollis). Skiftet til voksenfjerdragt starter i en alder af 4 måneder.
Det skal bemærkes, at det i fangenskab er særdeles vanskeligt at adskille nominatformen fra underarten, medmindre man har en gruppe af fugle til rådighed, hvilket oftest ikke er tilfældet. Som følge heraf vil der i fangenskab formentlig være tale om, at der i visse tilfælde er sket en sammenblanding af de to forskellige former.
Uganda huser såvel nominatformen af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje som underarten Uganda Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje, så på dette frimærke har man (måske ubevidst) helgarderet sig ved ikke at skrive den fuldstændige latinske artsbetegnelse, så man dækker begge former
I naturen
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes udbredelsesområde er af Birdlife International opgjort til hele 2.300.000 km2, svarende til over 53 gange Danmarks størrelse!!! Derimod har Birdlife International ingen estimater over den samlede population i naturen, hvilket hænger sammen med dens enorme udbredelsesområde.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes udbredelsesområde er primært det centrale Afrika, fra Elfensbenskysten i vest til Etiopien i øst. Den forekommer i en lang række lande, især i Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroun, Den Centralafrikanske Republik, Tchad, Congo, Elfenbenskysten, Ækvatorial Guinea, Etiopien, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo og Uganda. Arten fandtes også på Sao Tome og Principe samt på Fernando Póo øerne, der begge er beliggende i Guinea bugten. Da fuglen kommer fra det ækvatoriale Afrika, er den ikke vant til store temperaturudsving, hverken fra dag til nat eller fra sæson til sæson.
Mere specifikt finder man nominatformen i det vestlige Afrika fra det nordlige Angola nordpå til Guinea, og det centrale Afrika østpå mod det sydvestlige Sudan og Lake Albert på Congo-Uganda grænsen.
Underartens udbredelsesområde går fra det sydvestlige Etiopien og sydøstlige Sudan sydpå over Uganda og Kenya mod Kigoma-regionen i Tanzania.
Ligesom det kendes fra den Gråhovedet dværgpapegøje og dennes underart (Agapornis c. canus og Agapornis c. ablectaneus), så gælder det også for den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje og dennes underart, at de to formers udbredelsesområder overlapper hinanden, hvorfor der også må findes en hybridpopulation i naturen.
Visse dele af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes udbredelsesområde overlapper i øvrigt også andre dværgpapegøjearters udbredelsesområde, men der kendes ikke beretninger om hybrider med andre dværgpapegøjearter fra naturen. Eksempelvis overlapper dens udbredelsesområde det område, som den Grønhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis swindernianus) lever i, men de to arter lever i vidt forskellige biotoper. Hvor den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje lever i åbent landskab, så lever den Grønhovedet dværgpapegøje i tæt og høj skov, og de to arter kommer derfor næppe i kontakt med hinanden.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er en udpræget lavlandsfugl, som hovedsageligt lever i højder på op til 1.400 m over havoverfladen. De lever i sparsom skov og i savanne skovland samt på græsstepper med krat og spredte træer, specielt i nærheden af opdyrkede områder eller ved flodløb eller søer. Den undgår tæt skov, medmindre der findes græsdækkede lysninger.
Fuglen er sjælden i bl.a. det nordlige Angola, men optræder fortsat i Ghanas kystområder på nær området omkring Accra. Den er ligeledes sjældent forekommende omkring Lagos i Nigeria, men til gengæld er der mange ved Nigers flodslette i Benin-distriktet, hvor savanne og skov møder hinanden. Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er også meget almindelig i det sydvestlige Sudan. I Uganda, hvor de også er hjemmehørende, har man observeret, at fuglene bevæger sig lokalt alt efter, hvor de kan finde føde.
I naturen kan man undertiden godt observere store flokke, der samles for at ”angribe” marker med modnende afgrøder, men almindeligvis lever den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje i små sociale enheder enten omfattende et enkelt par eller i mindre flokke på 15 – 20 fugle. Når der er flere fugle samlet, kan de godt have en arrig adfærd, som det også kendes fra den Gråhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis canus). I løbet af dagen vandrer fuglene vidt og bredt for at fouragere, og ved skumringstid returnerer de til deres yndlingshvilepladser, som oftest findes i lave træer. Når flokken så skal falde til ro, sker det ofte under megen larm og uro. Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje bruger en stor del af dagen på jorden eller i nærheden heraf, hvor den ernærer sig af græsfrø (primært Sorghum halepensi, der er en vild græssart fra hvilken man har udviklet Durrahhirse, Dari og andre kulturafgrøder), nødder, bær, bladknopper, figner og andre frugter samt lejlighedsvis af insekter og deres larver. Dens næb er stærkt, og det benytter fuglen sig af, når den håndterer nødder med hårde skaller. Fuglene ses ofte ”klæbende” sig til frøstande på forskellige græssorter og kornplanter, hvor de adræt bevæger sig op og ned ad stænglerne for meget ofte at sidde med hovedet nedad i et forsøg på at nå frøene. Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje opfattes som et problem i områder med dyrkede afgrøder, hvor de angriber både umodent og modnet korn som f.eks. hirse. Man har også observeret, at de angriber marker med Guava, som er frugten fra Guavatræet (Psidium guajava) samt bananplantager.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis p. pullarius) er normalt også i fangenskab en sky fugl, men der forekommer dog eksemplarer, som er blevet vant til menneskelig kontakt, og som fremtræder rolige
Feltstudier fra naturen om den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er stadig sparsomme, og det gælder ikke mindst viden om dens yngleadfærd. Imidlertid ved man, at det er vigtigt, at levestedet også kan byde på forskellige termitarter, da den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje graver (gnaver) et redekammer i termitboer. Termitterne finder sig både i, at fuglen graver og i dens vedvarende tilstedeværelse, da fuglen formentlig vælger at etablere sin rede i den side, der ligger væk fra det levende termitbo, hvorved de to forskellige skabninger kan sameksistere uden konflikter. Termitterne lever af cellulose, som er indeholdt i træ og anden vegetation, og de gør derved ikke fuglene noget. Faktisk kan termitterne siges at yde den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje beskyttelse mod eventuelle naturlige fjender. Der benyttes tit beboede termitboer i træer, der er at finde i nogle få meters højde, men der kan også findes reder i højtliggende termitboer på op til 12 m. Derimod benytter den sjældent jordbaserede termitboer som rede. Brugen af velisolerede termitboer har den fordel, at redekammerets temperatur kun svinger lidt. Hunnen graver et rundt indgangshul og derpå en, om muligt, 20 – 40 cm lang tunnel med en diameter på ca. 5 cm for at slutte af med at udgrave et kugleformet redekammer inde i termitboet. Hunnen graver i 4 – 5 minutter ad gangen for derpå at komme ud. Selve hulrummets bund fores med græs og barkstykker. Når den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje har gravet åbninger i termitboet, kan der i de beboede termitboer ske det, at termitterne lukker dette igen, hvorfor der skal graves en ny adgang. Der kan konstant være en temperatur på knapt 30 graders Celsius i redekammeret, hvilket gør hunfuglen i stand til ret ofte at forlade reden i op til nogle timer uden, at det skader æggene. I de første to til tre uger af ungernes levetid fodres de udelukkende med insekter og larver. Efter udflyvningen mades ungerne af forældrefuglene i ca. 2 uger.
Det skal bemærkes, at nogle observatører betegner den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje som koloni-ynglefugle, der yngler i større grupper, men det stemmer ikke overens med den adfærd, der som oftest beskrives fra naturen.
Brugen af termitboer som rede er helt unik for den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje inden for slægten Agapornis. Flere andre arter som f.eks. den Sorthovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis personatus) og den Jordbærhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis lilianae) bygger kuppelformede reder med sidevendt indgang, hvorimod den Rosenhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis roseicollis) bygger en mere kopformet rede. Den Gråhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis canus) og Taranta dværgpapegøjen (Agapornis taranta) bygger simple reder bestående af et redeunderlag.
I naturen er den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje sky og vanskelig at komme i nærheden af, og dens direkte flugt er meget hurtig, hvorunder den kan bruge sin stemme, som kan virke nærmest melodisk kvidrende.
I kraft af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes kæmpemæssige udbredelsesområde strækker ynglesæsonen sig over en stor del af året, da udbredelsesområdet dækker de forskellige klimatiske forhold i løbet af året, herunder regntiden. I Uganda og Tanzania er yngleperioden i maj – juli måned, hvorimod den er fundet ynglende i Nigeria og Congo i det tidlige oktober. Generelt kan man sige, at de Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer, der har deres udbredelsesområdet i det østlige Afrika yngler fra maj – juli, hvorimod de Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer, der lever i det vestlige Afrika yngler fra begyndelsen af september.
Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje lever også i det afrikanske land, Togo, som har udgivet dette frimærke med et - ikke særligt vellignende - motiv af denne art
Trusler
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er i 2009 af BirdLife International - den officielle ”Rød Liste”-myndighed inden for fugle på vegne af IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) - vurderet til at høre til kategorien ”Least Concern” art.
Som anført oven for har arten et enormt udbredelsesområde, og den nærmer sig derfor slet ikke Birdlife Internationals tærskelværdier for sårbare arter begrundet i udbredelsesområdets størrelse. På trods af det faktum, at trenden for den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes population i naturen synes at være faldende, findes denne tilbagegang heldigvis heller ikke at være sket tilstrækkeligt hurtigt til, at Birdlife Internationals tærskelværdier for sårbarhed som følge af den demografiske udvikling finder anvendelse.
Ved EU-forordning 2551/97 blev import af papegøjer til EU stærkt begrænset, men i nogle år var det stadigt muligt at eksportere Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer fra 10 af de lande, hvor den hører hjemme, hvilket har været anvendt sporadisk. Efter indførelsen af det generelle forbud mod import af papegøjer i begyndelsen af 2007 vil det i fremtiden være næsten umuligt at få nyt blod fra vildtfangede fugle. Selv op i nyere tid, når denne art blev importeret, skete det ofte, at fuglene var bundet, da de var meget sky og nervøse. Man troede, at man på denne måde bedre kunne vænne fuglene til menneskelig kontakt. Resultatet var imidlertid, at mange Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer ved ankomsten var handicappede, og de gjorde mere skade på sig selv, når nogen nærmede sig dem, medens de var bundne. I øvrigt blev fuglene under disse transporter primært fodret med Paddy ris.
Naturbeskyttelsesforanstaltninger
Ingen.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er i lighed med 7 andre dværgpapegøjarter (slægten Agapornis) optaget på CITES, liste II.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis p. pullarius) er meget sjælden at finde under beskyttede forhold, men får man mulighed for at anskaffe sig nogle eksemplarer af denne art, så bliver man bjergtaget af dens imponerende smukke og intensivt farvet fjerdragt samt - ikke mindst - dens melodiske stemme og sjove, livlige væsen. På fotoet er det hannen til venstre og hunnen til højre
I fangenskab
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er ligesom den Gråhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis canus) en ret sky fugl, og den vænner sig kun vanskeligt til kontakt med mennesker. Den er samtidig kendt for at være meget ømfindtlig over for forandringer, f.eks. når man flytter den til en ny voliere, eller hvis man sætter den sammen med andre fugle. Nogle eksemplarer har dog vænnet sig til menneskelig kontakt med tiden. Som udpræget lavlandsfugl er den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje endvidere ret kuldefølsom, ja nogle betegner den som meget kuldefølsom, og som ikke må holdes under 18 graders Celsius i vinterhalvåret.
Det siges, at den i fangenskab ofte kan hvile sig hængende med hovedet nedad, som det kendes fra flagermuspapegøjerne (slægten Loriculus), men det har jeg aldrig selv oplevet.
Opdræt af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er forbeholdt erfarne opdrættere eller eksperter. Den er meget ”kræsen” med hensyn til valg af passende redemulighed. Man skal derfor helst kunne tilbyde den forskellige redemuligheder, hvor den kan grave et hulrum i form af et redekammer. Som ”redefyld” accepteres ofte trampet græstørv, komprimeret tørvestrøelse eller korkblokke, og nogle opdrættere har også benyttet lerklinede vægge inde i redekassen.
I fangenskab er det også primært hunnen, der graver reden, men hannen er ofte ivrig efter at hjælpe til, men den er ikke særlig effektiv. Bunden af redekammeret fores typisk med frøavner eller små stykker bark, græs eller blade, som bæres til reden af hunnen i de kropsfjer, som hun kan nå, altså på samme måde som Taranta dværgpapegøjen (Agapornis taranta), men ikke på overgumpen, som det f.eks. ses hos den Gråhovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis canus).
Flere fugleholdere – også danskere – har over årene investeret megen tid og mange kræfter i at forsøge at opdrætte den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje. En af dem, som forsøgte at gøre Aage V. Nielsen kunsten efter, var Erik Thomasen fra Rødovre, den tidligere mangeårige indehaver af den velestimerede Frederiksberg Fuglehandel på Helgesvej. Som et af de første medlemmer af den nystartede forening, DAK (Dansk Agapornis Klub), brugte han fra slutningen af 1970’erne mange ressourcer på at få en gruppe Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer til at yngle i en kæmpemæssig voliere, hvor fuglene blev tilbudt mange forskellige redemuligheder.
På dette billede af en Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis p. pullarius) ser man også artens karakteristiske ranke kropsholdning, her repræsenteret af en hanfugl
Det er således kendetegnende for fugleholdere, der har den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje, at de eksperimenterer med forskellige typer af redemuligheder. Selv om opdræt også kan finde sted i en almindelig undulatredekasse, så har nogle opdrættere prøvet at lave kopier af trætermitboer fra naturen for at stimulere fuglenes ynglelyst. Med en blanding af sand, kalk, gips og cement har nogle fugleholdere, bl.a. den verdenskendte tyske dværgpapegøjeekspert, Helmut Hampe (der var forfatter til det klassiske værk, ”Die Unzertrennlichen”, fra 1934), bygget kunstige termitboer, der sågar blev malet udvendigt for at fremstå endnu mere virkelighedstro. Det kunstige termitbo indeholdt et redekammer, som der var adgang til via en ca. 30 cm lang adgangstunnel, og som var fyldt op med kork, der har vist sig at være det mest ideelle fyld, da det ikke styrter sammen. Det antages, at kork, der giver fuglen mulighed for at grave, stimulerer den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes redeadfærd i fangenskab. Andre har fyldt redeanlæggene med tørv, som forinden var blevet gjort vådt for siden at tørre hårdt op, inden det blev presset ned i redeanlæggets kammer og tunnel. Det blev banebrydende, da en tysk opdrætter i starten af 1970’erne udstyrede redekamrene hos sine Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer med termostatbaserede varmelegemer, da det sikrer en højere og mere konstant temperatur inde i selve redekammeret i løbet af avlssæsonen. Man har benyttet temperaturer på 23 til 25 graders Celsius indtil klækning af det første æg, for derefter at sætte temperaturen op til 25 til 27 graders Celsius. I sommerperioder, hvor udendørstemperaturen fast har ligget på 25 graders Celsius, har man undladt at benytte den kunstige opvarmning.
Medens hunnen graver reden, kan hannen sidde uden for redehullet ved siddepinden, hvor den sidder og ”sludrer”. Parring kan foregå samme sted. Når hannen lægger an til parring, sidder han rank og med oppustet fjerdragt samt udspilede halefjer, medens han vedvarende ryster hovedet. Han kradser sig ikke ved næbbet med den ene fod, som det f.eks. kendes fra dværgpapegøjearterne med den hvide øjenring. Man ser heller ikke, at den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje-hun spreder vingefjerene op til og under parringen, som det ellers ses blandt flere af de øvrige dværgpapegøjearter.
Hvis den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje endelig tager den tilbudte redemulighed til sig, kan den lægge helt op til 7 æg, der alene ruges af hunnen, og som klækkes efter 22 - 23 dage. Hunnen kommer ud af reden et par gange om dagen og bliver i øvrigt madet af hannen. Sammenlignet med andre dværgpapegøjearters unger forekommer de Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjers unger straks efter klækningen meget nøgne. Den første tid har ungerne stadig deres næbtand, og i en alder af 11 – 13 dage begynder de at åbne deres øjne, og det er nu tid til at ringmærke fuglene. Man skal imidlertid være særdeles forsigtig med unødvendige forstyrrelser, da arten, som allerede nævnt, generelt er sky. Et par dage senere viser de første fjerposer sig, og derpå viser de første fjer sig. Ca. 35 dage gamle er ungerne næsten fuldt fjerede, og ca. en uge senere forlader de reden. Knapt 9 uger gamle er ungerne selvstændige. I modsætning til andre dværgpapegøjearters unger vender den Orangehovedet dværgspapegøjes unger ikke tilbage til reden, når de først er fløjet ud. Såfremt fuglene føler sig truet, ser man oftere end hos andre dværgpapegøjearter, at forældrefuglene forsøger at beskytte ungerne ved at lade disse sidde mellem sig på en gren. Nogle opdrættere betegner de udfløjne unger som særdeles sky, hvorimod andre betegner dem som forbavsende rolige. Ungerne begynder som tidligere omtalt, skiftet til voksenfjerdragten i en alder af ca. 4 måneder.
Som siddepinde kan man med stor fordel benytte grene med mange forgreninger, som samtidig giver fuglene mulighed for at sidde på grene og kviste af forskellig tykkelse, så føddernes muskulatur benyttes i forskellige stillinger og ikke fastlåses i en bestemt position. Fuglene har en forkærlighed for tynde højtplacerede grene, hvor de kan sidde og hvile sig. Selv om hannen og hunnen i et sympatipar holder sammen for livet, så ser man, at når flere par af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje holdes i samme voliere, så sidder de ikke nødvendigvis altid sammen og hviler sig. Fuglene kan godt lide at sidde sammen to og to uanset køn, så to hanner eller to hunner kan også godt sidde og hvile sig sammen, hvilket må siges at være bemærkelsesværdigt.
Blandt de Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer opstår der oftere end blandt de øvrige dværgpapegøjearter uforklarlige dødsfald. Det er ikke sjældent, at fugleholdere har oplevet en pludseligt opstået gispen hos fuglen uden andre former for forudgående sygdomstegn. Hvis en fugl først har fået denne gispen, kommer den sig ikke over det, og den dør enten i løbet af nogle få timer eller enkelte dage. Omvendt er denne art også kendt for at kunne blive over 10 år gammel. Ligesom i forhold til Taranta dværgpapegøjen (Agapornis taranta) går der også ”vandrehistorier” om den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje, som går ud på, at såfremt den ene part i et sympatipar dør, så følger den længstlevende mage den i døden i løbet af kort tid.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje skal holdes i en voliere, hvor den føler sig tryg, og dens naturlige adfærd kan komme fuldstændig til sin ret. I et lille bur vil denne art fremstå passiv, og den vil blot sidde stille på en bestemt pind eller gren i buret dagen lang. Omvendt er den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje ikke en særlig aktiv fugl, og den foretrækker at kravle rundt i grenene frem for at flyve.
Gennem de seneste år har en lille håndfuld opdrættere rundt om i Europa, ikke mindst i Portugal, Tyskland, Holland og Storbritannien haft held med regelmæssigt at opdrætte denne art, og lad os endelig håbe, at denne udvikling fortsætter, så arten ikke helt forsvinder i fangenskab.
Farvemutationer
Der er fundet en gulbroget fugl i naturen. Derudover er der rapporter tilbage i 1960’erne
fra Portugal om en importfugl, der var Lutino. Jeg har haft lejlighed til at se farvefotos af denne fugl (en han-fugl), og det var en ekstremt smuk fugl. I USA er der omtalt en blå mutation i slutningen af 1970’erne, men denne oplysning er ikke
bekræftet.
Der findes flest frimærker med ikke særligt vellignende motiver af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje. Her et frimærke fra Cameroun, hvor man ser en hanfugl til venstre og en hunfugl til højre. Læg mærke til, at man bruger en af de gamle latinske artsbetegnelser på frimærket. Nominatformen hedder i dag Agapornis pullarius pullarius
Fodring
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje er den dværgpapegøjeart, som er sværest at fodre i fangenskab. Den kan i en lang periode ernære sig ved en bestemt frøblanding for derpå pludseligt ikke at ville indtage dette foder. En stor del af den samlede foderplan består af en blanding af småkornede hirsearter, søde æbler og pærer, gulerod samt figner. Den er overordentligt glad for kolbehirse.
I yngleperioden er en spiret frøblanding obligatorisk. Under spiringsprocessen omdannes frøenes olier, fedt og stivelse til simple sukkerstoffer, der fuldt ud kan optages i fuglens organisme. Det spirede frø kan tilsættes reven gulerod. Resultatet er en let fugtig masse, der passende kan tilsættes vitaminer og pulveriserede mineraler. Det er vigtigt at understrege, at dette foder kun har en meget begrænset holdbarhed, og det skal derfor fjernes efter senest 12 timer og endnu hurtigere, hvis det er varmt i vejret. Nogle fugleholdere har haft held med at tilbyde den nektar, ligesom andre fugleholdere benytter levende foder i form af melorme i yngleperioden.
Ud over forskelligt frugt, jf. ovenfor, tages gerne mælkebøtteblade, fuglegræs, o.lign. samt årstidens
friske bær. Den er ligeledes glad for friske rajgræsfrø.
Se i øvrigt samme afsnit under artiklen om den Sorthovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis personatus).
Eksempel på ”stilleben”-maleri fra omkring år 1620/30, "Blumenstilleben", der er malet af Peter Binoit, og som hænger på Rheinland-Pfalz Staat Museum i Mainz i Tyskland. Det er blot et af flere samtidig eksempler på ”stilleben”-malerier, der illustrerer den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje, her et par på maleriets nederste højre hjørne
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje i (kunst)historisk perspektiv
Når man læser i faglitteraturen om den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje får man at vide, at det var den første dværgpapegøjeart, der blev beskrevet og klassificeret af videnskaben, hvilket skete helt tilbage i 1758. Det var den senere så verdensberømte svenske læge, botaniker og zoolog, selveste Carl von Linnè (Carolus Linnaeus), som stod for dette arbejde. Imidlertid går vores viden om den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje væsentlig længere tilbage i historien, idet den har været kendt i Europa siden år 1603. Den første omtale af den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje fremgår af den videnskabelige bog, "Exoticum Libri decem" fra 1605, hvor den hollandske botaniker Charles de l'Escluse (Carolus Clusius 1526 - 1609) beskriver den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje som "Psittacus minimus" (den lille papegøje).
Allerede fra begyndelsen af det 17. århundrede var den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje et foretrukkent ”kæledyr” blandt Europas velstående, ikke mindst blandt det engelske aristokratis fornemme damer, som gik spadsérture med fuglen på fingeren. Fuglene blev importeret fra Afrika og tabene ved at transportere fuglene fra dette kontinent til Europa, hvortil de ankom med klippede svingfjer, var betydelige. Betegnelsen ”lovebird” (kærlighedsfugl), som slægtsbetegnelse på engelsk, stammer fra de velstående kredse i det gamle England, hvor der eksisterede en tradition med at vise sin kærlighed i form af at forære en sådan fugl som gave til sit hjertes udkårne. Fra midten af det 18. århundrede blev det mere regelmæssigt at holde fugle i bure i Europa, og den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes popularitet i Europa fremgår også af den videnskabelige artsbetegnelse, som Carl von Linnè, gav den i 1758, nemlig "pullaria" (som er kælenavn for en lille kær papegøje, det latinske ”pullus” betyder egentligt et ungt eller lille dyr). Pullarius (tidligere pullaria) er den dag i dag stadig dens artsbetegnelse, selv om Agapornis-slægtens taxonomi og nomenklatur siden da er blevet revideret indtil flere gange.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøjes popularitet kan også dokumenteres gennem samtidens billeder i form af vellignende malerier.
”Stilleben” (på engelsk ”still life” og på hollandsk ”stilleven”, hvilket på begge sprog betyder "stille liv") er
den tyske betegnelse for en stilart inden for malerkunsten, hvor opsætninger af normalt mindre objekter, som f.eks. frugter, blomster eller instrumenter, der er anbragt uden for deres normale sammenhæng, gengives dekorativt, symbolsk og meget præcist.
Det er svært nøjagtigt at skelne ”stilleben” fra portrætter, landskabsmotiver, historiske motiver, hvorfor den præcise historie bag denne stilart er uklar. Imidlertid kan ”stilleben”
spores helt tilbage til det gamle Ægypten. På de gamle egyptiske gravmalerier kan man ofte se vægmotiver, der afbilder mad og brugsgenstande, hvilket menes at have en sammenhæng med de afdødes behov i den hinsides verden. Også
antikkens Rom har anvendt denne stilart, hvilket bl.a. kan ses på de velbevarede friseri Pompeii . Det var dog først i den sene middelalder og tidlige renæssance , at begrebet
dukkede om som en selvstændig stilart, hvor kunstnerne gjorde meget ud af opsætning, placering, udformning og lyssætning. Det var især i Nordeuropa, at ”stilleben” blev udbredt, og man regner det for en egentlig stilart
fra omkring 1650'ernes Holland. Senere malere udviklede ”stilleben” til at være en fuldstændig naturtro gengivelse af de forskellige opstillinger. Malerier med frugt, mad og vin symboliserede gæstfrihed, hvorfor sådanne
”stilleben” malerier oftest hang i boligens entré. Jeg er ikke bekendt med, om Statens Museum for Kunst i København fortsat har en særududstilling om ”stilleben”, men da jeg var der senest, for ca. 3 år siden,
kunne man opleve en hel afdeling med flot komponerede ”stilleben”-malerier.
En af disse ”stilleben”-malere var den hollandske Peter Binoit. Omkring 1620/30 malede han nedenstående ”stilleben”-maleri, der fremstår så realistisk, at man kan artsbestemme de enkelte blomster i buketten. Det er endda malet så realistisk, at man sidenhen har kunnet konstatere, at Binoit ikke har malet en buket, som stod foran ham, da de forskellige blomster blomstrer på forskellige tider af året. Hvis man ser på maleriets nederste højre hjørne, vil man kunne se to Orangehovedede dværgpapegøjer, der sidder og hakker i et granatæble. Virkeligheden er, at det nok ikke har været et granatæble, som fuglene hakkede i, da dette æble var en dyr importvare, som næppe har været brugt som fuglefoder.
Den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje (Agapornis p. pullarius) er en meget omgængelig fugl, så hvis man er så heldig at have flere af dem, er det muligt uden problemer at holde dem i flok
Når den Orangehovedet dværgpapegøje blev illustreret på ”stilleben”-malerier skete det ofte i sammenhæng med frugt og grøntsager, hvilket sikkert er en henvisning til disse fugles kostvaner eller dens status som en værdifuld eksotisk fugl. På den tid var det at holde papegøjer i de velstående kredse nemlig en ”ædel besiddelse”, da fuglene ikke ikke blev spist og alene blev holdt i bure, oftest i boligens mest repræsentative rum.
Jørgen Petersen
Konciperet/Opdateret: 26.02.2010/12.01.2016
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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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