Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda)

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Tara

The Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda) is an elegant Psittacula found in South-east Asia. My views of them in Taiping Lake Gardens were from a distance so I have to use a close-up from Wikipedia.

And here’s some of my shots of the parakeets in flight. I think the ones with the shorter tails are juveniles.

They have a large range throughout the regions of Andaman islands, Nicobar islands, Sumatra, Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia (including Singapore). The easiest places to find them are Taiping Lake Gardens (blue dot) and occasionally Taman Negara in Malaysia and Singapore.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LONG-TAILED PARAKEETS

VIDEOS

Parakeets courting.

Eating out in Singapore.

Parrot Conservation Indonesia Part 2 – Ecotourism

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Tara

In yesterday’s post, I introduced you to Mehd Halouate and his work with the World Parrot Trust. Today, I will show you some of the eco-tours he and his wife, Lena are operating throughout Indonesia. First, have a look at his website and see the tours organized for 2014-2016.

Use your miles to get to Indonesia and save your money for the tour and to spend locally!

Tours for 2014
Tours for 2015
Tours for 2016

If you enjoyed my series on West Papua from March 2013 but were afraid to go on your own, the good news is that Mehd & Lena are offering all the same destinations with more time at each one on this tour.

Parrot Conservation Indonesia Part 1 – Podcast

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Tara

Mehd & Lena Halouate are friends of mine whom I originally met via Facebook and last year in person. Mehd is the Indonesia Project Manager for the World Parrot Trust and his biography can be found on their website.

Conservation efforts in Indonesia are extremely challenging yet incredibly important, as many species there exist nowhere else in the world. Indonesia’s size, tropical climate, and island chain geography support the world’s second highest level of biodiversity, a unique mixture of flora and fauna.

In this podcast, Mehd Halaouate sheds light on the status of conservation efforts in Indonesia – the challenges and their solutions for moving forward to save some of the world’s rarest parrots.

Related reading (excerpts from PsittaScene Magazine, Spring 2014):
– Island Hopping – Search for the Red-and-blue Lory
– Where the Lories Landed

The heartbreaking photos of the captured Lories highlight why conservation projects and ecotourism are so important. I highly recommend joining the World Parrot Trust to get their quarterly magazine and keep up to date with their projects.

Help WPT protect these Lories!

Support the Red-and-blue Lory Project
– Donate to save the Red-and-blue Lories

My Top Twenty-Five Bird Sightings Of 2013

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Tara

Following on from last year’s post in which I highlighted only parrot sightings, this year I have expanded to all bird species. There were just so many birds who made a major impression on me! I have also increased the number to 25 since we did 3 birding trips this year. I didn’t always get good shots so I will put my own photo when I got one. Some of them were pretty quick! They are being presented in chronological order.

1. Palm Cockatoo (Probosciger aterrimus) – seen at Nimbokrang & Waigeo, Indonesia; March 2013

2. Lesser Bird-of-paradise, (Paradisaea minor) – seen at Nimbokrang, Indonesia; March 2013

I couldn’t get a photo as he stayed in the trees so here’s one taken in Jurong Bird park, Singapore.

3. Victoria Crowned Pigeon (Goura victoria) – seen at Nimbokrang, Indonesia; March 2013

Victoria Crowned Pigeons, Nimbokrang

4. Western or Arfak Parotia (Parotia sefilata) – seen at Siyoubring, Indonesia, March 2013 I’ll never forget this feathered Lord of the Dance trying so hard to woo 3 aloof females!

One female Western Parotia comes in for a closer look while the male shows his best moves. There were a couple other females higher up in the branches.

5. Vogelkop Bowerbird (Amblyornis inornata) – seen at Siyoubring, Indonesia, March 2013

OK lady Bowerbirds, come and check out my awesome bower!

6. Eclectus Parrot (Eclectus roratus) – seen near Nimbokrang and on Waigeo Island, Indonesia, March 2013

7. Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, (Cicinnurus respublica) – seen on Waigeo Island, Indonesia in March 2013. This little guy played hard-to-get with the camera.

Wilson’s Bird-of-paradise, Cicinnurus respublica

8. Red Bird-of-paradise (Paradisaea rubra) – seen on Waigeo Island, Indonesia , March 2013.

Red Bird of Paradise (Paradisaea rubra), Waigeo- dancing in the trees

9. Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis) – seen at Crooked Tree, Belize, Tikal, Laguna del Lagarto, Carara, Soberania, August 2013. This was the first parrot we saw after arriving in Central America so I chose him to represent all the Amazon species seen all over Central America.

Red-lored Amazon or Red-lored Parrot (Amazona autumnalis)

10. Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus) – seen at Crooked Tree, Belize, Tikal, Selva Verde, Laguna del Lagarto, Soberania, August 2013

11. Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) – seen at Selva Verde & Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013

12. Golden-hooded Tanager (Tangara larvata) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013.

13. Brown-hooded Parrot (Pyrilia haematotis) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013.

14. Collared Araçari (Pteroglossus torquatus) – seen at Selva Verde, Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, Soberania. August 2013.

15. Hummingbirds (all of them) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Monteverde, Savegre, Soberania. There is no way I can single out one species, they are all spectacular!

16. Chestnut-coloured Woodpecker (Celeus castaneus) – seen at Laguna del Lagarto, Costa Rica, August 2013

17. Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno) – seen at Monteverde (Curi Cancha) & Savegre. I will never forget both sightings of this stunning bird! The first one because I found him by myself and the 2nd one because there were several of them and they hung around a while so I could watch them.

18. Sulphur-winged Parakeet (Pyrrhura hoffmanni) – seen at Savegre, Costa Rica, August 2013

I haven’t started the India & Sri Lanka series yet, we only got back a few weeks ago and I have been playing catch-up. These birds will be covered first thing in the New Year. The photos are a sneak-peek!

19. Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides) – seen in Coorg, India; Nov. 2013. This time there were only fleeting glimpses of a flock flying overhead so the photo is one I took in 2011 in Kerala.

20. White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) – seen at Kithulgala, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

21. Layard’s Parakeet (Psittacula calthropae) – seen at Kithulgala & Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. They were swift flyers and refused to perch & pose.

22. Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot (Loriculus beryllinus) – seen at Kithulgala, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. At least he posed, albeit with the sun behind him!

23. Alexandrine Parakeet – (Psittacula eupatria) – seen at Kithulgala & Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

24. Malabar Trogon (Harpactes fasciatus) – seen at Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013. He only let me get one shot before turning his back.

25. Sri Lanka Blue Magpie or Ceylon Magpie (Urocissa ornata) – seen at Sinharaja, Sri Lanka. Dec 2013.

I didn’t get a photo of them since they stayed in the trees so here’s one from Wikipedia.

Stunning Birds In Waigeo, Easy Birding

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Tara

Actually the first day of birding wasn’t THAT easy. We had hired a normal car to get up the hill from which we would have a short hike to the hides for Wilson’s Bird of Paradise and the Red Bird of Paradise. We got about halfway up, then the road became so bad (potholed) that only a high-clearance 4WD was going to get up the hill. It was hot and a tough slug up but at least we weren’t walking in mud! The next day, we used a 4WD truck and had a very pleasant and much easier day of birding. There are lots of birds to see in Raja Ampat. There’s a full birdlist on Avibase. Since I was targeting parrots and the 2 BOPs, I will copy the parrot list here and highlight in red the ones we actually saw during our 2 day stay on Waigeo.

Psittacidae
Orange-fronted Hanging Parrot	Loriculus aurantiifrons
Yellow-capped Pygmy Parrot	Micropsitta keiensis
Palm Cockatoo	Probosciger aterrimus
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo	Cacatua galerita
Black Lory	Chalcopsitta atra
Violet-necked Lory	Eos squamata	Endemic (country/region)
Rainbow Lorikeet	Trichoglossus haematodus
Black-capped Lory	Lorius lory
Red-flanked Lorikeet	Charmosyna placentis
Red-cheeked Parrot	Geoffroyus geoffroyi
Great-billed Parrot	Tanygnathus megalorynchos
Eclectus Parrot	Eclectus roratus
Moluccan King Parrot	Alisterus amboinensis	Endemic (country/region)
Double-eyed Fig Parrot	Cyclopsitta diophthalma
Large Fig Parrot	Psittaculirostris desmarestii

Benny leads the way

Hasna from HamuEco Lodge had organized Benny to be our guide as he knows the locations of the Wilson’s Bird of Paradise and Red Bird of Paradise (BOPs) and had even built hides in their display grounds. He charged us 150,000 rupiahs per person per day and he can be reached on his mobile phone 0852 54881306 or though Hasna at HamuEco via their Facebook page. Once you get up the hill, it’s a short walk to the grounds where you see the BOPs. It’s not too steep but can be muddy after rain. There are plenty of fallen logs to sit on if you need a rest. Once you are in the hide, you need to be very quiet so you don’t scare the birds away.

Walking through unspoiled rainforest to the Wilson BOP display grounds

The hide Benny made to conceal us from the Wilson’s BOP, unfortunately he wasn’t fooled!

The Red BOP hide was larger and featured wooden log benches

Benny and friend in the Red BOP hide

Of course there are several parrot species in Waigeo too and they can easily be seen flying overhead on the same hill you walk up for the BOPs. I also saw Palm Cockatoos flying over the trees while relaxing in my overwater bungalow at HamuEco. Once again, I didn’t get very good shots other than the Eclectus Parrot who was perching. The other parrots were what I call “Video Game Birds” – meaning they fly quickly overhead or off in the distance. My challenge is to try to get the little red dot in my viewfinder on the flying bird and hold it long enough to get a shot, all the while trying to hold 3 kgs worth of camera and 400mm lens! I never was any good at video games, LOL! Don’t consider these as professional photos, they are far from it. What they are good for is showing you how far you will be from the birds and what sort of gear you will need to bring in an attempt to get photos. I didn’t bring a tripod as it’s pretty much useless for flying birds and hiking through the rainforest. I didn’t have much choice about the back-lighting so sorry about all the silhouettes!

A flock of Blyth’s Hornbill fly overhead at dawn

Sulphur Crested (Triton subspecies) Cockatoos

Female Eclectus Parrot

This Palm Cockatoo was too fast for me

And there goes another Palm Cockatoo!

Peregrine Falcon

Perching Female Eclectus Parrot (yes, that was at full 400mm zoom!)

Pair of Eclectus Parrots

Female Eclectus Parrot in flight

Find the hidden Rainbow Lorikeet (he has his wing up)

That tiny speck about a third down in the middle is a butterfly!

Too dark to see what kind of lorikeets these are

Rainbow Lorikeets

Lorikeet in silhouette

Rainbow Lorikeet eating

Rainbow Lorikeets mating

An ethereal looking Triton SC Cockatoo

Male Eclectus in flight

Female Eclectus perching pretty, not sure about the bird flying overhead

Not sure what these birds are

OTHER ISLANDS IN RAJA AMPAT

As I mentioned in my other post, if you are with a tour group, you will probably go to Batanta and Salawati with a chartered boat. The birdlist for Batanta is pretty much the same as Waigeo (see above). The birdlist for Salawati has more in common with that of the Sorong Lowlands which I will cover in a separate post.

Chattering Lory (Lorius garrulus)

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Tara

The Chattering Lory, Lorius garrulus is a forest-dwelling parrot endemic to North Maluku, Indonesia. It is considered vulnerable, the main threat being from trapping for the cage-bird trade.

Chattering Lory (Lorius garrulus)

There aren’t any pics of them in the wild that I could find but there are a few good shots of them in bird parks.

Chattering Lories

One of the reasons they are so hard to find is because they inhabit a remote area of Northern Sulawesi near Halmahera. You can get to South East Asia and get a domestic flight to Halmahera.

Chattering Lory Habitat

This little guy seemed happy to leave the chattering to his neighbors the Rainbow Lorikeets!

List Of Parrots In Indonesia

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Tara

Pesquet’s Parrot – Psittrichas fulgidus

Blue-crowned Hanging-parrot – Loriculus galgulus

Sulawesi Hanging-parrot – Loriculus stigmatus

Moluccan Hanging-parrot – Loriculus amabilis

Sula Hanging-parrot – Loriculus sclateri

Sangihe Hanging-parrot – Loriculus catamene

Orange-fronted Hanging-parrot – Loriculus aurantiifrons

Red-billed Hanging-parrot – Loriculus exilis

Yellow-throated Hanging-parrot – Loriculus pusillus

Flores Hanging-parrot – Loriculus flosculus

Yellow-capped Pygmy-parrot – Micropsitta keiensis

Geelvink Pygmy-parrot – Micropsitta geelvinkiana

Buff-faced Pygmy-parrot – Micropsitta pusio

Red-breasted Pygmy-parrot – Micropsitta bruijnii

Palm Cockatoo – Probosciger aterrimus

Yellow-crested Cockatoo – Cacatua sulphurea

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo – Cacatua galerita

Salmon-crested Cockatoo – Cacatua moluccensis

White Cockatoo – Cacatua alba

Tanimbar (Goffin’s) Cockatoo – Cacatua goffiniana

Little Corella – Cacatua sanguinea

Black Lory – Chalcopsitta atra

Brown Lory – Chalcopsitta duivenbodei

Yellowish-streaked Lory – Chalcopsitta sintillata

Red-and-blue Lory – Eos histrio

Violet-necked Lory – Eos squamata

Red Lory – Eos bornea

Blue-streaked Lory – Eos reticulata

Black-winged Lory – Eos cyanogenia

Blue-eared Lory – Eos semilarvata

Dusky Lory – Pseudeos fuscata

Ornate Lorikeet – Trichoglossus ornatus

Rainbow Lorikeet – Trichoglossus haematodus

Olive-headed Lorikeet – Trichoglossus euteles

Yellow-and-green Lorikeet – Trichoglossus flavoviridis

Iris Lorikeet – Psitteuteles iris

Goldie’s Lorikeet – Psitteuteles goldiei

Chattering Lory – Lorius garrulus

Purple-naped Lory – Lorius domicella

Black-capped Lory – Lorius lory

Blue-fronted Lorikeet – Charmosyna toxopei

Striated Lorikeet – Charmosyna multistriata

Pygmy Lorikeet – Charmosyna wilhelminae

Red-fronted Lorikeet – Charmosyna rubronotata

Red-flanked Lorikeet – Charmosyna placentis

Fairy Lorikeet – Charmosyna pulchella

Josephine’s Lorikeet – Charmosyna josefinae

Papuan Lorikeet – Charmosyna papou

Plum-faced Lorikeet – Oreopsittacus arfaki

Yellow-billed Lorikeet – Neopsittacus musschenbroekii

Orange-billed Lorikeet – Neopsittacus pullicauda

Brehm’s Tiger-parrot – Psittacella brehmii

Painted Tiger-parrot – Psittacella picta

Modest Tiger-parrot – Psittacella modesta

Madarasz’s Tiger-parrot – Psittacella madaraszi

Blue-rumped Parrot – Psittinus cyanurus

Red-cheeked Parrot – Geoffroyus geoffroyi

Blue-collared Parrot – Geoffroyus simplex

Yellowish-breasted Racquet-tail – Prioniturus flavicans

Golden-mantled Racquet-tail – Prioniturus platurus

Buru Racquet-tail – Prioniturus mada

Great-billed Parrot – Tanygnathus megalorynchos

Blue-naped Parrot – Tanygnathus lucionensis

Blue-backed Parrot – Tanygnathus sumatranus

Black-lored Parrot – Tanygnathus gramineus

Eclectus Parrot – Eclectus roratus

Moluccan King-parrot – Alisterus amboinensis

Papuan King-parrot – Alisterus chloropterus

Olive-shouldered Parrot – Aprosmictus jonquillaceus

Red-winged Parrot – Aprosmictus erythropterus

Red-breasted Parakeet – Psittacula alexandri

Long-tailed Parakeet – Psittacula longicauda

Orange-breasted Fig-parrot – Cyclopsitta gulielmitertii

Double-eyed Fig-parrot – Cyclopsitta diophthalma

Large Fig-parrot – Psittaculirostris desmarestii

Edwards’s Fig-parrot – Psittaculirostris edwardsii

Salvadori’s Fig-parrot – Psittaculirostris salvadorii

Miles To The Wild

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Tag Archives: indonesian parrots

Long-tailed Parakeet (Psittacula longicauda)

LEARN MORE ABOUT LONG-TAILED PARAKEETS

VIDEOS

Parrot Conservation Indonesia Part 2 – Ecotourism

Parrot Conservation Indonesia Part 1 – Podcast

My Top Twenty-Five Bird Sightings Of 2013

Stunning Birds In Waigeo, Easy Birding

Chattering Lory (Lorius garrulus)

List Of Parrots In Indonesia