The genus Prioniturus contains nine parrot species found in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Description:
Racket-tailed parrots are easily distinguished from all other parrots by their elongated central tail feathers with the bare shaft and spatula at the end (please refer to drawing to the right)..
Overall the plumage is green with more or less blue or red, specifes-specific highlights.
Adult parrots average 30 cm in length.
Diet:
Their natural diet consists of fruit (especially banana and berries), nuts and seed. They are also seen feeding in cornfields, where they can cause considerable damage to the crops.
In captivity, they should be provided with various fruits (especially banana, grapes, apple, cactus figs, elder and rowan berries), lory food, safflower seed mixes, paddy rice, wheat, hemp, canary grass, various millets and sunflower seed (also sprouted); cooked rice; half-ripened maize; rose hips; and twice weekly egg food and hard-boiled egg, which is especially important during breeding season.
Taxonomy:
Class: Aves … Order: Psittaciformes … Family: Psittacidae … Family: Psittacinae … Order: Psittaciformes … Genus: Scientific: Prioniturus … English: Racket-tailed Parrots … Dutch: Vlagstaartpapegaaien … German: Spatelschwanzpapageien … French: Perroquet à raquettes
Sub-species:
Blue-crowned Racket-tailed Parrots
Blue-headed Racket-tailed Parrots
Blue-winged Racket-tailed Parrots (Sulu Racket-tailed Parrot)
Buru Racket-tailed Parrots:
Species: Scientific: Prioniturus mada … English: Buru Racket-tailed Parrot … Dutch: Buru Vlagstaartpapegaai … German: Buru Spatelschwanzpapagei … French: Perroquet à raquettes d’ile Buru … CITES II – Endangered
Distribution: Island of Buru (Maluku province) in Indonesia
Golden-mantled Racket-tailed Parrots
Mindanao Racket-tailed Parrots
Mountain Racket-tailed Parrots
Mount Malingdang Racket-tailed Parrots
Red-spotted Racket-tailed Parrots:
Species: Scientific: Prioniturus flavicans … English: Red-spotted Racket-tailed Parrot … Dutch: Cassins Vlagstaartpapegaai … German: Raketenschwanzpapagei … French: Perroquet à raquettes tacheté rouge … CITES II – Endangered
Distribution: Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes) – part of the Maluku island group in Indonesia Group, Peleng, Togian Island
Salomonsen’s Racket-tailed Parrots
Sulu Racket-tailed Parrots (Blue-winged Racket-tailed Parrots)
Waterstradt’s Racket-tailed Parrots (Mindanao Racket-tailed Parrots)
