An eye-catching parrot “The dusky
lory” (Pseudeos fuscata) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae.
Alternative common names are the white-rumped lory or the dusky-orange lory.
This beautiful parrot is short tailed just 25cm long, and has mainly brown and
whitish back and rumps. Mostly it is found in New Guinea and the offshore
islands of Batanta, Yapen and Salawati. The dusky lory's native range includes
New Guinea below about 2500m in both the Indonesian zones of the island. It is
also native to the nearby Indonesian islands of Salawati and Yapen.
The Dusky Lory has two color
phases; the band across the upper chest together with its abdomen is either
yellow or orange. However, the beak is dark orange, and an area of bare orange
skin at the base of its lower mandible. The irises are red and the legs are
grey. As far as external appearance the both male and females are identical.
Though, the juveniles are duller with a yellowish back and rump, yellowish-grey
irises, and a beak that is yellow at the base and brown/black towards the tip.
The Dusky Lory natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland
forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical
moist montane forests. Dusky Lory calls heard as harsh and grating screeches.
They reach reproductive maturity when they are about 2 to 2.5 years old. Lories
are typically quite easily bred; so many Lory species are readily available.
The average clutch consists of 2 - 3 eggs, which are incubated for 24 - 25
days. The young fledge when they are about 10 weeks old.
The parrot wild Diet consists of
flowers, fruits, seeds, nuts and insects. Lories require a higher percentage of
fruit, buds, nectar and pollen in their diet. In fact, in the wild, they can
feed on as many as 640 flowers in a one day. They also feed on seeds and unripe
grain. Their ecology and behavior is very social, forming large, boisterous
flocks. He mainly relies on availability of flowering trees for food and is
therefore nomadic, and roosts communally in large groups. However, this stunning
species is considered endangered within their natural range, typically due to
habitat destruction; there is a high demand for these birds as pets or aviary
birds, and they have been doing well in captivity and are, therefore,
regionally readily available on the pet market. Maybe the most playful of the
lories, excellent pets and great talkers. The only drawback is their terrible,
high pitched screeching! They would never work in an apartment. It can live 28
to 32 years, and one of the major contributors of ill health and early death in
pet birds is the fact that their specific dietary needs are neglected.
