Prioniturus mada
The Buru Racket-tail (Prioniturus mada) is an engaging medium-sized parrot, approximately 28-32 cm in length, including its distinctive racket-like tail feathers. Its plumage is predominantly vibrant green, with males exhibiting a striking blue crown patch and often a variable red wash on the throat and breast, which is absent or less pronounced in females. The most unique field mark, giving the genus its name, are the two central tail feathers that extend significantly beyond the others, ter...
Found primarily in primary and secondary lowland rainforests, forest edge, and sometimes plantations, from sea level up to elevations of 1500 meters or more.
Primarily frugivorous and granivorous, feeding on a variety of fruits, seeds, nuts, and potentially flower buds and nectar, typically foraging in the tree canopy.
Buru Racket-tails are diurnal and typically observed in small, noisy flocks, though larger congregations can form at abundant food sources or communal roosts. They forage actively in the tree canopy, clambering among branches to extract fruits and seeds. While specific courtship displays are not ...
The Buru Racket-tail is strictly endemic to Buru Island, one of the larger islands in the Maluku Archipelago of eastern Indonesia. Its distribution encompasses suitable forested habitats across the entirety of Buru, from its coastal lowlands up into its mountainous interior. There are no known su...
Near Threatened
- The 'racket-tail' feathers of Prioniturus parrots are unique and are thought to play a role in species recognition or display. - Buru Racket-tails are endemic to a single island, Buru, in the Maluku (Moluccan) Islands of Indonesia. - Despite their vibrant green plumage, they can be surprisingly...