Reischek's Parakeet
Encyclopedia
Reischek’s Parakeet is a small green parrot confined to 21 km2 Antipodes Island
, one of New Zealand
’s subantarctic islands, which it shares with a congener, the larger Antipodes Island Parakeet
.
, who collected specimens of the parrot in 1888 and who named it Platycercus hochstetteri for the son of his friend, Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter
, who made a geological survey of New Zealand.
Reischek’s Parakeet was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Red-crowned Parakeet
C. novaezelandiae, which it resembles in appearance, but was later lumped with the Macquarie Island Parakeet
from Macquarie Island
in a 2001 paper by Wee Ming Boon and others following an examination of the molecular systematics of the genus which found that many of the Red-crowned Parakeet subspecies should be elevated to full species. However, subsequently the provenance of Boon et al.’s supposed Macquarie Island material was shown to be mistaken, originating from the Antipodes Islands instead.
flowers, leaves, seeds, berries as well as invertebrates such as fly
larva
e in the guano
of the penguin colonies. It also scavenges on the carcasses
of petrels and albatross
es.
Antipodes Islands
The Antipodes Islands are inhospitable volcanic islands to the south of—and territorially part of—New Zealand...
, one of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
’s subantarctic islands, which it shares with a congener, the larger Antipodes Island Parakeet
Antipodes Island Parakeet
The Antipodes Parakeet or Antipodes Island Parakeet 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 long...
.
Taxonomy
The common name commemorates pioneering naturalist and collector Andreas ReischekAndreas Reischek
Andreas Reischek was an Austrian taxidermist, naturalist, ornithologist and collector notable for his extensive natural history collecting expeditions throughout New Zealand as well as being notorious for acts of grave robbing there...
, who collected specimens of the parrot in 1888 and who named it Platycercus hochstetteri for the son of his friend, Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter
Ferdinand von Hochstetter
Christian Gottlieb Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter was a German geologist.He was born at Esslingen, Württemberg, the son of Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter , a clergyman and professor at Bonn, who was also a botanist and mineralogist...
, who made a geological survey of New Zealand.
Reischek’s Parakeet was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Red-crowned Parakeet
Red-crowned Parakeet
The Red-crowned Parakeet, Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae, is a small species of parrot from New Zealand. The species was once lumped with several other parrots from New Zealand's outlying islands, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island, but these have now been afforded full species status...
C. novaezelandiae, which it resembles in appearance, but was later lumped with the Macquarie Island Parakeet
Macquarie Island Parakeet
The Macquarie Parakeet , also known as the Macquarie Island Parakeet, is an extinct parrot from subantarctic Macquarie Island, an outlying part of Tasmania, Australia, in the Southern Ocean.-Taxonomy:...
from Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island
Macquarie Island lies in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, about half-way between New Zealand and Antarctica, at 54°30S, 158°57E. Politically, it has formed part of the Australian state of Tasmania since 1900 and became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978. In 1997 it became a world heritage...
in a 2001 paper by Wee Ming Boon and others following an examination of the molecular systematics of the genus which found that many of the Red-crowned Parakeet subspecies should be elevated to full species. However, subsequently the provenance of Boon et al.’s supposed Macquarie Island material was shown to be mistaken, originating from the Antipodes Islands instead.
Feeding
Reischek’s Parakeet feeds on tussockPoa
Poa is a genus of about 500 species of grasses, native to the temperate regions of both hemispheres. Common names include meadow-grass , bluegrass , tussock , and speargrass. "Poa" is Greek for fodder...
flowers, leaves, seeds, berries as well as invertebrates such as fly
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e in the guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
of the penguin colonies. It also scavenges on the carcasses
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
of petrels and albatross
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
es.