Large Fig Parrot

The large fig parrot (Cyclopsitta desmarestii), also known as flame-headed fig parrot and Desmarest's fig parrot, is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae.

It is found in the West Papuan Islands, Indonesia and in southern and western New Guinea (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea).

Description

It has a red to orange cap, a light blue eye patch below its eye, yellow face, pale turquoise ring tinged with red, grey-black bill and green body. Male and female adults are identical in external appearance and juveniles tend to have duller colours on the head, but otherwise resemble adults.

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical mangrove forest, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.

Subspecies

Five subspecies are recognised:

C. d. blythii Wallace, AR, 1864 – Misool (Raja Ampat Islands, off western New Guinea)

C. d. occidentalis (Salvadori, AT, 1876) – Salawati and Batanta Islands, western Bird's Head Peninsula, and Onin Peninsula (northwestern New Guinea)

C. d. desmarestii (Desmarest, A-G, 1826) – western New Guinea (eastern regions of Bird's Head Peninsula)

C. d. godmani (Ogilvie-Grant, WR, 1911) – southern lowlands of western and central New Guinea (Mimika River to Fly River)

C. d. cervicalis (Salvadori, AT & d'Albertis, LM, 1876) – southeastern New Guinea (Fly River to far eastern Papua New Guinea)