Blue-Backed Parrot
Also known as: Tanygnathus everetti (scientific name) · Müller's parrot · Burbridge's parrot
Definition
The Blue-Backed Parrot (Tanygnathus everetti), also known as Müller’s parrot or Burbridge’s parrot, is a large, endangered parrot endemic to the Philippines, inhabiting tropical moist lowland forest. Formerly treated within a wider Tanygnathus sumatranus complex, Philippine populations are now recognized as Tanygnathus everetti by current taxonomy. Owing to deforestation and trapping, it has vanished from parts of its historical range and is feared locally extinct on some islands, making remaining forest strongholds critical to its survival. (Wikipedia)
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Blue-backed parrot |
| Wikidata | Q41023008 |
| DBpedia | N/A |
| ProductOntology | N/A |
| Wiktionary | N/A |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | N/A |
| MeSH | N/A |
| NCBI Taxonomy | Tanygnathus everetti |
| AGROVOC | N/A |
| Google Scholar | Tanygnathus everetti blue-backed parrot Philippines endangered endemic |
| ConceptNet | bird |
| OpenCyc | N/A |
Also Known As
- Tanygnathus everetti (scientific name)
- Müller’s parrot
- Burbridge’s parrot
Examples and Analogies
- A Ghost of the Lowlands: Where the Colasisi can still be seen in garden trees, the blue-backed parrot has all but disappeared from many lowland forests, glimpsed only as fast-flying silhouettes between forest patches.
- Taxonomic Split: Its history parallels other Philippine birds whose island populations, long grouped under one wide-ranging name, were later recognized as distinct species once field studies and genetics caught up.
Usage Scenarios
1. Flagship for Lowland Forest Conservation
Because the species depends on mature lowland forest, one of the most heavily converted habitats in the Philippines, it serves as a flagship for protecting what remains outside the high-elevation parks.
2. Target Species for Survey Work
Ornithologists prioritizing neglected islands use historical localities of the blue-backed parrot to design rapid assessments confirming which populations survive.
Strategies
- Verify surviving populations through targeted surveys on islands where the species was historically recorded.
- Protect remaining lowland forest corridors through local government zoning and community-managed areas.
- Curb trapping by enforcing wildlife laws at ports and markets known for the bird trade.
Security and Safety Measures
- The species is covered by Republic Act No. 9147, which penalizes capture, sale, and possession of wild parrots.
- International trade is prohibited under CITES, to which the Philippines is a party.
- Survey teams in remote forest areas should coordinate with local communities and authorities for safety and access permission.
Historical Context
The parrot was described in the nineteenth century from specimens collected during expeditions across the Philippine archipelago, honoring collectors whose names attach to its English synonyms. For decades it was folded into a broader great-billed parrot complex before modern taxonomic study recognized the Philippine form as Tanygnathus everetti. Twentieth-century logging stripped its lowland habitat, and by the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries ornithologists could find it only at scattered sites, prompting its endangered status.
Challenges and Controversies
Local Extinctions
Several historical island populations have not been detected in recent decades, and debates continue over whether some reports represent surviving birds or escaped cage individuals.
Taxonomic Uncertainty
Boundaries between taxa in the Tanygnathus sumatranus complex remain unsettled, complicating range maps and Red List assessments used to direct conservation funding.