Tanygnathus megalorynchos
The Great-billed Parrot, *Tanygnathus megalorynchos*, is a strikingly large and predominantly green parrot found across Wallacea and parts of Melanesia, renowned for its massive, powerful bill. Measuring 38-44 cm (15-17.5 inches) in length and weighing 250-400 grams, its most distinctive field mark is the bright red upper mandible contrasting with a brownish-black lower mandible, giving it a truly formidable appearance. Plumage is largely vivid green, with a paler yellowish-green head, a subt...
Found in tropical lowland forests, forest edges, coastal areas, mangroves, and sometimes disturbed secondary growth or plantations, typically at elevations up to 1000 meters.
Primarily frugivorous and granivorous, feeding on a wide variety of fruits (especially figs and coconuts), nuts, seeds (including maize from cultivated areas), and flowers, foraging almost exclusively in the tree canopy.
Great-billed Parrots are diurnal, active from dawn to dusk, often spending nights roosting communally in tall trees or tree hollows. They are primarily arboreal foragers, employing their formidable bills to crack open hard fruits, nuts, and seeds high in the canopy. While often observed in pairs ...
The Great-billed Parrot is widely distributed across the biogeographical region of Wallacea and parts of Melanesia, exhibiting a resident, non-migratory range. Its extensive distribution encompasses various islands of Indonesia, including Sulawesi, the Sula Islands, Banggai Islands, Lesser Sundas...
Least Concern
- The Great-billed Parrot possesses one of the largest bills proportionally among Old World parrots, capable of cracking incredibly tough nuts and seeds. - It is a 'secondary cavity nester,' meaning it relies on pre-existing tree hollows or those excavated by other species, rather than creating i...