Yellowish-breasted racquet-tail

Prioniturus flavicans

Photo by Simon van der Meulen (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
yellowish-breasted racquet-tail (en); papagaio-de-raquetes-amarelado (pt); palette de Cassin (fr); lorito-momoto amarillento (es); flaggenschwanzpapagei (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Psittaciformes
Family Psittacidae

Range:
This species is endemic to Indonesia, only being found in the Minahasa Peninsula, in northern Sulawesi, and in nearby islands including the Togian Islands.

Size:
These birds are 37 cm long.

Habitat:
The yellowish-breasted racquet-tail is found in primary, lowland rainforests, from sea level up to an altitude of 1.000 m. Occasionally, they may also use stands of trees near the forest edge.

Diet:
Although there is information on their diet, these birds are known to forage among flocks of fruit-eating birds.

Breeding:
Yellowish-breasted racquet-tails breed in December-March. They nest on cavities in the root balls of arboreal epiphytic ferns, where the female lays 3 eggs. The female incubates the eggs alone for 30-33 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 44-48 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - NT (Near-Threatened)
This species has a relatively large breeding range and the global population is estimated at 45.000 individuals. The population is suspected to have declined recently at a moderately rapid rate, owing to current rates of habitat destruction, degradation and fragmentation caused by deforestation.