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Project Noah Nature School
Eunymphicus uvaeensis
Medium sized green parakeet (32cm). Breast and belly are lighter green than the back and rump. The end of the tail and flight feathers are blue. The face is dark green with a small red patch over the crown. These birds have a distinctive small crest made of 6 long feathers that curl up over the head. The bill is black. Closely related and similar in look to the Horned Parakeet of Grande Terre.
Endemic to the Island of Ouvea, a tiny Island in the Loyalty group East of Grande Terre in New Caledonia. This species is found mainly in the Northern part of the island in forest, feeding on fruits in the canopy and also on fruiting crops.
The birds numbers had declined due to habitat destruction and trapping but a local community incentive to actively try to preserve the numbers left and encourage the population to grow has worked well. Fruit growers are prepared to take some losses on their crops to enable the species to thrive. Attempts to try and relocate a population to Lifou Island have failed so far but the future for this species seems brighter.
Spotted on Aug 21, 2018
Submitted on Nov 9, 2018
10 Comments
Thank you Rach. Sorry I only just noted this comment of yours. My bad.
A belated congratulations on SOTD, well deserved with great photos and back story. A beautiful bird and good to hear of local support by farmers for its continued survival.
Hi Neil, thanks for the comment, I appreciate it. The crest gives an almost cockatiel like look I thought.
Nice SOTD, Rob. Congrats. It's a lovely bird, and I really like its little crest.
Thank you also Antonio and Lauren for your supportive comments. I think the fruit is pawpaw Lauren. I was very kindly allowed to sit in this farmers orchard for a couple of hours to get these photographs. Like all parrots they are messy eaters and quite destructive but the farmer allowed for the losses and had set aside trees as feed sources. He told me that he had 5 birds coming in regularly.
Thank you Daniele for the sotd. I am delighted these guys got some coverage. In a time when it always seems to be bad news for nature, this is definitely a story of hope and success. Thank you again.
What fruit is it eating?
Wonderful pictures Robert and such an adorable bird. It looks very smart too. I'm so glad that it is being cared for. Congrats on SOTD, you are on a roll with the gorgeous creatures from your part of the world.
Beautiful series Robert,congrats on the well deserved SOTD and thanks for sharing
Congratulations on yet another special find from New Caledonia Robert! Your
Ouvea Parakeet is our Spotting of the Day:
Exactly six forward-curling feathers make the crest of the unique Ouvea Parakeet (Eunymphicus uvaeensis), our Spotting off the Day! One of only two representatives of the genus Eunymphicus, the Ouvea Parakeet is endemic to the tiny island of Uvea in the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia. It is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Project Noah member triggsturner writes: "The birds numbers had declined due to habitat destruction and trapping but a local community incentive to actively try to preserve the numbers left and encourage the population to grow has worked well. Fruit growers are prepared to take some losses on their crops to enable the species to thrive. Attempts to try and relocate a population to Lifou Island have failed so far but the future for this species seems brighter".
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