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Topic Categories: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching • Travel
Posted on: November 22, 2009 9:59 AM, by "GrrlScientist"
tags: Swainson's Blue Mountain Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Swainson's Blue Mountain Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus, photographed at Yungaburra, Queensland, Australia. [I will identify this bird for you in 48 hours]
Image: Steve Duncan, 26 August 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200 w/ Nikkor 300mm f/4 & TC17E.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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Comments
ahh, a gorgeous bird- the Rainbow Lorikeet, Trichoglossus haematodus: violet-blue head and stomach, a bright green back, tail and vent, and an orange breast and beak...
now the problem in classification is that this "species" is considered a "species complex" with the some 20 "subspecies" considered separately therefore the bird above is T. h. moluccanus, endemic to eastern Australia and Tasmania and called Swainson's Lorikeet
Posted by: David | November 22, 2009 10:22 AM
Swainsons Lorikeet, or Blue Mountain Lorikeet.
This Rainbow Lorikeet subspecies is distinguished by a blue belly and a red/orange breast with no barring. Lack of a red collar distinguishes it from the more northern Red Collared species.
Posted by: joshua | November 22, 2009 11:43 AM
and it appears that it is feeding on one of the lilly pillies, the common name for a number of flowering trees in the family Myrtaceae (cloves, eucalyptus, allspice, guava, etc.) which has the greatest representation of species in the Australasia ecozone, characterised by clusters of pink/mauve berries...
Posted by: David | November 22, 2009 1:03 PM
I don't think that's a lillypilly, David. It looks very much like an umbrella tree (Schefflera) (fam. Araliaceae). They're fruiting here (Far North Queensland) at the moment, so the birds are having great fun.
Posted by: Snail | November 22, 2009 6:24 PM
Oh wow Snail, you are absolutely correct- Schefflera actinophylla- I've never, ever seen one in flower (and I used to tend over 300 of them in an indoor garden atrium in Washington, DC)!
Schefflera actinophylla (close-up)
Schefflera actinophylla, Malaga, Spain
Posted by: David | November 22, 2009 7:20 PM
I'm not familiar with Schefflera actinophylla, but that definitely isn't the "lilli-pilli". The lilli-pilli has purplish fruits about the size of grapes; they are edible and have a texture resembling styrofoam. (If it hadn't been over 20 years since I've done my biology courses I may have been able to give a more detailed description of the fruit.) Many birds love it but I don't recall any type of parrots feeding on it.
Posted by: MadScientist | November 23, 2009 3:37 AM