Double-eyed Fig Parrots, Two-eyed Fig Parrots, Blue-faced or Red-faced Fig Parrots, Dwarf Fig Parrots and Lorilets
Keeping & Breeding Fig Parrots
Diet of / Feeding Your Fig Parrots
The Double-eyed Fig Parrots, Cyclopsitta diophthalma, are also known as Two-eyed Fig Parrots, Blue-faced or Red-faced Fig Parrots, Dwarf Fig Parrots and Lorilets. They inhabit primarily the island of New Guinea, but isolated populations are also found along the tropical Australian coast, east of the Great Dividing Range.
They are difficult birds to observe in their habitat because of their small size, camouflaging plumage and rapid movement in a forest or near-forest situation. They are also usually high up in the canopy and on the edge of the foliage.
Fig-parrots feed primarily on the seeds of figs, which explains the common name. The name "double-eyed" was derived from the red patches above and below the eyes, resembling another set of eyes.
There are eight described subspecies of the Double-Eyed Fig-parrot.
Five subspecies of Double-eyed Fig-Parrot are known from New Guinea and the West Papuan Islands.
- Aru Double-eyed Fig-Parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma aruensis)
- Range: southern New Guinea between Mimika and Fly Rivers as well as Aru islands (Maluku province) (first described by Schlegel in 1874)
- Astrolabe Mountain Fig-Parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma coccineifrons)
- Range: eastern New Guinea west to Astrolabe Bay and central highlands (first described by Sharpe in 1882)
- Hartert's Double-eyed Fig-Parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma virago)
- Range: Goodenough and Fergusson Islands in D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, Papua (first described by Hartert in 1895)
- Tagula Double-eyed Fig-Parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma inseparabilis)
- Range: Tagula Island in Louisiada Archipelago, Papua New Guinea (first described by Hartert in 1898)
- Cyclopsitta diophthalma festetichi ?
Three subspecies are found in Australia:
- Coxen's Fig-Parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni)
- Range: Australia - from south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, Queensland (first described by Gould in 1867)
- Macleay's Fig-Parrot or Red-browed Fig-Parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma macleayana)
- Range: Australia - from Cooktown to Paluma in north Queensland (first described by Ramsay in 1874)
- Marshall's Fig-Parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma marshalli)
- Range: Australia - from eastern Cape York Peninsula, North Queenlands (first described by Iredale in 1946)
While the Marshall's and Red-browed Double-eyed Fig Parrots are relatively common in their natural habitat, the Coxen's is either extinct or close to extinction. A few unconfirmed sightings of the Coxen's have been reported, but some experts believe that this fig parrot may indeed be extinct in its natural environment.
Double-eyed Fig-parrots have been declared rare in the Wet Tropics region. These energetic and attractive parrots are infrequently found in aviculture, although their popularity and availability is increasing. Captive double-eyed fig parrots are more common in Europe than in the United States.
Description:
The Double-eyed Fig Parrot is Australia's smallest parrot averaging 5 1/2 in (13-15 cm) in length. They have short tails, and the head and bill appear disproportionately large.
The plumage of these fig-parrots is predominantly green-yellowish with colorful facial patterns consisting of distinctive red and blue markings and a prominent blue forehead in the adult birds. The wings are blue-edged and are particularly noticeable in flight. At rest there are two obvious red spots on the back.
The Double-Eyed Fig-Parrot is sexually dimorphic, with males having a much brighter plumage than females. Both sexes have a red forehead, but the males also have a red cheek patch, while the females' tends to be yellow.
They can be distinguished from small lorikeets by their short tail and lack of under-wing color.
Breeding:
Unlike many other parrots which generally use existing holes in trees for nests, Double-Eyed Fig-Parrots excavate their own nest cavities by boring a hole into a dead rotten tree to make it a suitable nesting site for raising chicks. Authenticated reports regularly record two eggs as an average clutch size.
For the most part, captive breeding results have been very poor to date. The reason for this appears to be the diet. In recent years, more information on this topic has come to light and breeding successes have significantly increased.
- Click here for information on housing requirements and captive breeding, as well as pet potential of fig parrots.
- Click here for information on diet - a crucial part in ensuring breeding success and health of this species.
Diet:
Fig-parrots generally feed on figs, berries, seeds, nectar, insects and larvae. They also feed on the kernels of many tiny seeds, including those of figs, buttonwood and ironwood. Foraging is done in pairs or in a flock of only a few individuals.
Song / Voice:
These fig-parrots produce short and shrill two or three note zzzt-zzzt or zeet-zeet calls. These calls are usually made in flight, but occasionally they utter them when perched. While feeding, they may also make a variety of softer, chattering noises. For the most part, however, they tend to be quiet once they have finished feeding.
Taxonomy:
Genus: Scientific: Cyclopsitta ... English: Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Bontkopdwergpapegaaien ... German: Buntkopfzwergpapageien ... French: Lorillet
Species: Scientific: Cyclopsitta diophthalma diophthalma aka Opopsitta diophthalma diophthalma ... English: Double-eyed Fig-Parrot, Two-eyed Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Dubbeloogvijgpapegaai, Maskerdwergpapegaai ... German: Maskenzwergpapagei ... French: Lorillet à double oeil ... CITES I - Protected Species
Sub-Species / Races Including Nominate: diophthalma, festetichi, aruensis, virago, inseparabilis, marshalli, macleayana, coxeni
Distribution: Western New Guinea, Western Papua
Sub-species:
Distribution: Aru Islands in the province of Maluku in eastern Indonesia, Southern New Guinea
Genus: Scientific: Cyclopsitta ... English: Fig-Parrots ... Dutch: Bontkopdwergpapegaaien ... German: Buntkopfzwergpapageien ... French: Lorillet
Species: Scientific: Cyclopsitta diophthalma aruensis aka Opopsitta diophthalma aruensis ... English: Aru Double-eyed Fig-Parrot ... Species Dutch: Aru Maskerdwergpapegaai ... German: Aru Maskenzwergpapagei ... French: Lorillet Aru à double oeil ... CITES I - Protected
Relevant Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 3 - click on link to view photo.)
Astrolabe Mountain Fig-Parrots:
Distribution: Eastern New Guinea
Genus: Scientific: Cyclopsitta ... English: Fig-Parrots ... Dutch: Bontkopdwergpapegaaien ... German: Buntkopfzwergpapageien ... French: Lorillet
Species: Scientific: Cyclopsitta diophthalma coccineifrons aka Opopsitta diophthalma coccineifrons ... English: Astrolabe Mountain Fig-Parrot ... Species Dutch: Astrolabe Maskerdwergpapegaai ... German: Astrolabe Maskenzwergpapagei ... French: Lorillet à front ecarlate double oeil ... CITES I - Protected
Relevant Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 2 - click on link to view photo.)
Coxens Double-eye Fig Parrots (Cyclopsitta diophthalma coxeni)
Hartert's Double-eyed Fig-Parrots:
Distribution: Goodenough and Fergusson Islands in the D'Entrecasteaux Archipelago, Papua
Genus: Scientific: Cyclopsitta ... English: Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Bontkopdwergpapegaaien ... German: Buntkopfzwergpapageien ... French: Lorillet
Species: Scientific: Cyclopsitta diophthalma virago aka Opopsitta diophthalma virago ... English: Hartert's Double-eyed Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Harterts Maskerdwergpapegaai ... German: Harterts Maskenzwergpapagei ... French: Lorillet d'entre casteaux à double oeil ... CITES I - Protected Species
Relevant Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 4 - click on link to view photo.)
Description: The male has some pale red in the face and a soft purple color under the ear.
Distribution: Cape York Peninsula, North Queensland in Australia
Genus: Scientific: Cyclopsitta ... English: Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Bontkopdwergpapegaaien ... German: Buntkopfzwergpapageien ... French: Lorillet
Species: Scientific: Cyclopsitta diophthalma marshalli aka Opopsitta diophthalma marshalli ... English: Marshall's Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Marshall's Maskerdwergpapegaai ... German: Marshalls Maskenzwergpapagei ... French: Lorillet à double oeil de Marshall ... CITES I - Protected Species
Relevant Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 6 - click on link to view photo.)
Red-browned Fig-Parrots aka Macleay's Fig-Parrot (Cyclopsitta diophthalma macleayana aka Opopsitta diophthalma macleayana
Tagula Double-eyed Fig-Parrots:
Distribution: Tagula Islands in the Louisiade Archipelago, Papua
Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 5 - click on link to view photo.)
Genus: Scientific: Cyclopsitta ... English: Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Bontkopdwergpapegaaien ... German: Buntkopfzwergpapageien ... French: Lorillet
Species: Scientific: Cyclopsitta diophthalma inseparabilis aka Opopsitta diophthalma inseparabilis ... English: Tagula Double-eyed Fig-Parrot ... Dutch: Tagula Maskerdwergpapegaai ... German: Tagula Maskenzwergpapagei ... French: Lorillet Tagula à double oeil ... CITES I - Protected Species
Relevant Web Resources: Lexicon of Parrots (Please scroll down to no. 5 - click on link to view photo.)
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