Chapter 8 - LORIQUETS OR HANGING PARRAKEETS

These are tiny birds (5 inches), mostly bright green with short, round tail, and having a shrill whistle and undulating flight. They are birds of the woods. While Loriquets don't have the brush-tipped tonque of the Lories and Lorikeets, the method of feeding is exactly the same for them as they are nectar and soft fruit eaters also. (See previous chapter.) This species, too, is for the experienced aviculturist only as they are delicate in captivity. They may bathe on sunny mornings.

Hanging Parrakeets make amusing pets, and have the habit of sleeping or just resting upside down like a bat from a perch, which should be a tree branch renewed occasionally. A locking joint in the foot enables them to do this. In the house, a two-foot square cage will accommodate them. Out­doors in summer, a six-foot enclosure will do, especially if you wish to breed them. A hollow log or one of the types of Shell Parrakeet nest boxes with concave bottom is suitable for them. (See nest box illustrations.) They lay three small, white, round eggs, and their natural breeding season is be­tween January and April. It is best in preventing egg-binding in the hen to delay their breeding till March in the United States.

While in Calcutta, I've seen a cage full of these small birds, which were sold reasonably. I couldn't believe my eyes, and had to get closer to see them all hanging upside down from the top of the wooden-barred cage. At my ap­proach, they became frightened and dropped down so hard that I thought they had cracked their skulls. The Indian native keeps them as pets, also in Malaya and the Philippines. Among the various species are:

INDIAN LORIQUET or HANGING PARRAKEET (Lori-culus v. vernalis). India, Burma and the Andaman Islands. Body bright green with crimson rump. The cock has a small blue throat-patch which is absent in the hen.

JAVANESE LORIQUET or HANGING PARRAKEET (Loriculus v. pusillus). Java and Bali. This is a subspecies of the Indian Loriquet. Cock: Bill light red, green body, brighter on the head. Yellow on mantle and throat. Lower back and upper tail-coverts scarlet, blue under the wings and tail.   The hen is similar, but without the yellow throat.

BLUE-CROWNED LORIQUET or HANGING PARRA-KEET (Loriculus g. galgulus). Malaya, Sumatra, Borneo. This is a common bird of the forest that occasionally enters native gardens, feeding mostly on fruit. Body green with red breast and rump, yellow patches on mantle and lower back. Bill is black. The cock has a blue crown patch absent in the hen. She has duller colors, with a yellowish breast and suffusion on the mantle.

CEYLONESE LORIQUET or HANGING PARRAKEET (Loriculus berylinus). Ceylon. Body bright green and back is red.  The cock has a red crown patch absent in the hen.

PHILIPPINE LORIQUET or HANGING PARRAKEET (Loriculus philippensis). Native name Colasisi. This is a very common bird often kept in cages by the Filipinos. The bill is slender, and the short square tail has some blue in it. The body is bright green with scarlet rump and forehead. There is an orange-scarlet patch on the throat and breast of the cocks. The hens have a pale blue face and throat. Immatures resemble the hens, and the nestlings are green with a red rump. There are 11 subspecies among the various Philippine Islands.

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