Antipodes Island Parakeet
Encyclopedia
The Antipodes Parakeet or Antipodes Island Parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor) is endemic to the Antipodes Islands
, one of two parrot species found on the islands. It is the largest species in the genus
Cyanoramphus
at 30 cm (12 in) long. The parakeets eat leaves, buds, grass, and tussock stalks, as well as sometimes feeding on seeds, flowers, and will scavenge dead seabirds. The Antipodes Parakeet also preys
on Grey-backed Storm-petrel
s. It will enter burrows to kill incubating adults, even dig at the entrance if it is too small.. In this way it is rare amongst parrots for its use of other birds as prey items, a feature shared by kea in the Kaikoura region. Antipodes Parakeets spend much of their time on the ground and in very small groups, pair or solitary. Restricted to the islands that bear their name they are also present on the mainland in small numbers in captivity which was foundered by less than 20 birds.
Antipodes Islands
The Antipodes Islands are inhospitable volcanic islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand...
, one of two parrot species found on the islands. It is the largest species in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Cyanoramphus
Cyanoramphus
Cyanoramphus is a genus of parakeets native to New Zealand and islands of the southern Pacific Ocean. The New Zealand forms are often referred to as kākāriki. They are small to medium sized parakeets with long tails and predominately green plumage. Most species are forest species, although several...
at 30 cm (12 in) long. The parakeets eat leaves, buds, grass, and tussock stalks, as well as sometimes feeding on seeds, flowers, and will scavenge dead seabirds. The Antipodes Parakeet also preys
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
on Grey-backed Storm-petrel
Grey-backed Storm-petrel
The Grey-backed Storm Petrel is a species of seabird in the Hydrobatidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Garrodia which was named by William Alexander Forbes in 1881 after Alfred Henry Garrod, while the specific descriptor is an allusion to the Nereids, the sea nymphs of Greek...
s. It will enter burrows to kill incubating adults, even dig at the entrance if it is too small.. In this way it is rare amongst parrots for its use of other birds as prey items, a feature shared by kea in the Kaikoura region. Antipodes Parakeets spend much of their time on the ground and in very small groups, pair or solitary. Restricted to the islands that bear their name they are also present on the mainland in small numbers in captivity which was foundered by less than 20 birds.
External links
- World Parrot Trust Parrot Encyclopedia - Species Profile
- BirdLife Species Factsheet.
- ARKive - images and movies of the Antipodes island parakeet (Cyanoramphus unicolor)
- Antipodes Island parakeet TerraNature | New Zealand ecology