Animalia Life
Erythrura kleinschmidti
SUBFAMILY
Erythrurinae
TAXONOMY
Amblynura kleinschmidti Finsch, 1878.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Black-faced parrotfinch; French: Diamant а bec rose;
German: Schwarzstirn-papageiamadine; Spanish: Pinzуn Loro
de Pico Rojo.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
4.3 in (11 cm). Sexes alike. Unusually shaped bill. They have a
strikingly pale 1.5 cm bill. Black head color changing to blue.
At the base of the bill the black is replaced by yellow-green up
to the ear. The back is green, the upper tail coverts are red
and the tail is black. They have pale feet and dark eyes. Juveniles
have a dark-tipped bill.
DISTRIBUTION
Found only on Viti Levu, Fiji.
HABITAT
Found in mature rainforests and sometimes in cocoa plantations.
BEHAVIOR
Found alone, in pairs, or in small family flocks, but may join
mixed-species flocks when feeding. The call is a “tsee-tsee” or
“chee-chee-chee.” A formal song is not described but this
species also utters a clicking sound.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on the ground and in trees on figs and other fruit,
flower buds, and on diverse invertebrates. The unusually
shaped bill is probably an adaptation for its insect-seeking
methods whereby it cracks open dead stems of tree-ferns.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nests are made of bamboo, leaves, and small twigs and lichens.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Endangered. The replacing of native trees in Fiji with those of
non-native conifers for forestry is thought to be a major factor
in the decline of this species.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
Photo Gallery of - Pink-billed parrotfinch
