Malay Lorikeets or Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots

Hanging Parrots General Info & Species Listing ... Hanging Parrot Photo Gallery

The Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Loriculus galgulus, is common to very common in localities and is endemic to Thailand south of Kra, Malaysia, Singapore, Anamba and Riau Islands, Borneo and some off-shore islands, Sumatra as well as islands of Bangka, Belitung, Nias, Siberut, Sipora and Enggano, in Indonesia.

They favor lowland forest and mangroves, and - in some instances - are also seen in wooded areas up to 4,300 ft (1,300 m). To a lesser extend, they may be found in marshland areas, tall secondary vegetation and bamboo thickets. On occasion, they visit coconut plantations, orchards and gardens.

In their natural habitat, they occur singly, in pairs and small family groups outside breeding season. Their green plumage camouflages them well in foliage, and most often, they are seen flying. They may be found foraging in flowering or fruiting trees and bushes. At favored feeding places, large gatherings can at times be seen - especially towards the evenings when they gather on roosting places in bushes. At times, groups of up to 150 of them can be seen in one locality.

Even though they are not known to be noisy, their calls are sharp and shrill.

Description:

This is a small parrot, averaging 4 to 5 inches (12 to 13 cm) in length. The plumage is generally green. The breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts are yellowish-green. Males have a distinctive dark-blue patch to the crown and a red throat patch. The lower back and upper tail-coverts are red. The back has a yellowish tinge. A yellow band can be seen across the lower back. The under wing-coverts and underside of the wings are greenish-blue. The upperside of the tail is green and the underside is greenish-blue. They have black bills and dark brown irises. Their feet are brownish-flesh colored.

Hens have a duller plumage. Her breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts are more yellowish. The blue patch to the crown and the yellowish tinge to the back is faint. They lack the red throat patch of the male.

Young birds look like females, but their feathers have a narrow dark edging. The forehead is grey with a bluish tinge. The lack the blue patch to the crown that can be seen in the mature male. The lower back is interspersed with green. The bill is pale horn-colored and their feet are brownish.

Please also refer to Blue-crowned Lory.

Breeding:

Breeding season usually commences in January and goes on to about July. Pairs usually nest in the cavities of living and dead trees. They line the floor of their nest with thick layer of bracken fronds and pieces of leaves. The female carries nesting material in her rump feathers. A clutch averages 3 to 4 eggs. The hen incubates the eggs for 20 days and the chicks leave the nest about 33 days from hatching.

Aviculture:

This is a pleasant, yet shy parrot. It is quiet with a melodic voice that can mostly be heard in the evenings. Breeding is frequently achieved, although hens frequently produce a significant number of infertile eggs and the survivability of the young chicks appears to be somewhat higher than is usually expected in parrot species.

The Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots usually like to make their nests in tree stumps. You can provide a log with the following dimensions:

• Diameter: 6 inches or 15 cm
• Height: 16 inches or 40 cm
• Diameter of the entrance hole: 1.5 inches or 4 cm
• Nesting material: Fill the bottom of the nest / log with a layer of wood shavings that is about 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) thick. For additional nesting material, provide the pair with willow twigs, ivy and other leafy plant material; leaves and pieces of bark.

Each clutch consists of 2 to 4 eggs, on occasion even 5 eggs are produced. Eggs are laid at two-day intervals. The incubation period is 21 days. The young fledge after 35 days. Fostering with other birds is possible.

This parrot is susceptible to fungal infections, therefore strict hygiene is necessary. It enjoys bathing. Adding a few drops of GSE in its bathing water will help in preventing infections. Also provide regular supply of fresh branches.

It should be provided a planted, preferably indoor or well-sheltered aviary (unless it is kept in temperate climates) of 6 x 3 x 6 ft (2 x 1 x 2 m) dimensions or larger. It needs to be protected from cold, wet conditions and should not be exposed to temperatures below 68F (20° C) - and not less than 77°F (25°C) during the acclimatization period.

• Please refer to this webpage for additional information on housing and breeding your hanging parrots.

Lories as Pets:

Lories are popular companion birds due to their intelligence, entertaining personality and stunning beauty. They are also quite easily bred, so there are readily available. Their expected lifespan is 28+ years. They reach maturity at 8 months or later. Males and females look alike and breeders depend on DNA or endoscopic sexing to determine sex. Most stay tame, even in maturity.

They are affectionate, curious, extroverted and clowny and exhibit some unique behaviors. Some like to wrap themselves up in a blanket for sleeping. At times, they can even be seen sleeping on their backs. They are capable of aggressive behavior if their territory and possessions are not respected. They are demanding in care requirements (especially diet preparations) and require a lot of attention. Daily baths or showers should be part of their grooming regimen.

Due to their diet which consists for the most part of fruits and nectar, their droppings are very runny and messy. Special adaptations around the cage are recommended. Carpet underneath a cage will be the poorest choice of all. Everything in the vicinity of the cage should be easy to clean. This being said, lories are very trainable and, with a little patience and know-how, can be taught to eliminate in a certain area on cue. This webpage will provide you with instructions.

Their voice ranges from loud, piercing whistles and metallic "pings" to soft, high-pitched warbles and chattering.

Caring for your Lory:

Diet:

Their natural diet consists of nectar, fruits, buds, flowers and seeds.

Their captive diet should consists mainly of commercial or home-made nectar. Liquid nectar will need to be replaced several times daily. In warm weather every 4 hours. Spoiled nectar will cause your lory to become ill and possibly die. Excellent commercial formulas are available on this website.

Lories also love fruits, such as apples, pomegranates, papaya, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple, figs, kiwi, and some vegetables, including corn-on-the-cob. Another healthful addition to their diet are flowers, including pansies, nasturtiums, roses, hibiscus, marigolds, and dandelions. All fruits, veggies and flowers should be pesticide free. Organic is always best. (For non-toxic ways to control pests in the house or garden, please visit this webpage.)

Breeding birds need to be provided softened rusk, eggfood and meal worm larvae when rearing.

Housing:

Lories are very active birds and require large cages. The minimum cage size for a single lory should be 36" H x 48" L x 24" W or to accommodate a pair the cage dimensions needs to be, at a minimum, 36" H x 60" L x 36" W. You have to remember that you need room for the many toys that lories so cherish, perches, food / water dishes, maybe a "birdy tent" -- as well as providing sufficient space for them to move around, exercise their wings. etc.

Care should be taken in cage design and placement since the birds have a tendency to squirt their waste matter, which is fairly liquid, behind them with some force. It is not recommended to place the cage behind a delicately decorated wall and on unprotected carpet. Easy-care flooring is recommended, as well as a washable wall. An acrylic panel custom-cut and placed over the wall would be a great way to protect it. The acrylic panel can easily be taken outside and hosed down. There are acrylic cages available, but lories love to climb and scramble about, so a standard, high quality powder coated cage is a better choice - as large as the space you have will allow.

In an outdoor aviary they are the easiest birds to maintain, as all of their waste can simply be hosed away, no seed hulls to sweep up or sticky, green and white droppings running down the side of the cage to scrub off. Lory droppings are mostly clear or beige. A word of caution about placing lories in mixed-species aviaries. Some lories can be very aggressive toward other birds, while others will mingle just fine. The worst is probably the Chattering Lory. They seem to take great pleasure in doing in other birds in their territory.

Training and Behavioral Guidance:

Lories are known for their intelligence, and they are more than happy to entertain you with the tricks that have learned. They are capable of aggressive behavior if their territory and possessions are not respected and nippiness can occur if this behavior is not managed.

Consistent training and behavioral guidance is recommended so that you can enjoy a bird free of destructive and annoying habits. Behavioral challenges that lories and lorikeets present include:

• Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Heavy chewing is not a huge problem with lories per se. Most of them never really develop any major destructive issues in that area. However, it is recommended that the owner provide their lory with plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach a lory what items are "off-limits."



• Biting: Lories, as is the case with most parrots, are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. If this behavior is unchecked, the lory is likely to be dominating the entire family, chasing and attacking their least favorite humans. Training is vital to stop this destructive behavior.



• Screaming: Although blue-crowned hanging parrots are not known to be very noisy, their calls tend to be shrill and loud - sufficiently so that they may disturb less tolerant neighbors. Even though their natural call / voice cannot be entirely eliminated; their occurrence can be reduced. The owner has to understand that even with training, the lory voice can get quite loud, with a high pitched screech.
  

Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...

• AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.


• If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
  
  • the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
    • Stop Biting
    • Perform Tricks &
    • Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
  • and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.

If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets, please visit the following websites for information:

• Procuring your Parrot
  • Bird Breeders
  • Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.


• The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy



• Housing Your Bird



• Bird Nutrition



• Parrot Products

Feeding & Housing Your Lory

Species: Scientific: Loriculus galgulus ... English: Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot, Malay Lorikeet ... Dutch: Blauwkroontje ... German: Blaukrönchen ... French: Loricule à tête bleue

CITES II - Endangered Species

Distribution: Malay Peninsula, Singapore, Anamba Island, Borneo, Riau Archipelago, Bangka and Belitung Islands, Sumatra, Islands of Nias, Siberut, Sipora

If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
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