About the Malherbe's Parakeet
Orange-fronted parakeet or Malherbe's parakeet is a small parrot endemic to New Zealand. It is known in te reo māori as kākāriki karaka or orange-fronted kākāriki, with kākāriki translating to 'small parrot' and the colour green. The species shares the name "orange-fronted parakeet" with Eupsittula canicularis, a Central American species. Restricted to a few valleys in the South Island, its population declined to around 200 in the 1990s, and it is considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and Nationally Critical by the New Zealand Threat Classification System. The parakeet has since been translocated to several islands and a fenced mainland site.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The orange-fronted parakeet is a medium-sized parrot, about 20 cm long. Its body is primarily a bright blue-green, with azure blue primary covert and leading-edge feathers on its wings. It has a distinctive (and diagnostic) orange frontal band with a lemon yellow crown, but this is absent in juvenile birds, which have a band of pale yellow. The orange frontal band begins to develop when the bird is 2–5 weeks old. Its rump has orange patches on the sides. Colouration in males tends to be brighter, and juveniles are distinctly duller.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Malherbe's Parakeet lives
When to see the Malherbe's Parakeet
Peak activity in November · a summer visitor species across most of its range
Easily confused with
New Caledonian ParakeetCyanoramphus saissetiThe New Caledonian parakeet, or New Caledonian red-crowned parakeet, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae.
Chatham Islands ParakeetCyanoramphus forbesiForbes' parakeets are medium-sized parakeets, with long tails and orange-red eyes.
Antipodes ParakeetCyanoramphus unicolorIt is the largest species in the genus Cyanoramphus at 30 cm (12 in) long. and makes a penetrating kok-kok-kok-kok noise.
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