Camiguin Hanging Parrot
Also known as: Camiguin colasisi (informal local-equivalent name)
Definition
The Camiguin hanging parrot (Loriculus camiguinensis) is a tiny, mostly green parrot endemic to the small island of Camiguin off northern Mindanao, distinguished from the widespread colasisi by its red crown and other plumage details. Described to science only in the 2000s — remarkably late for a Philippine bird — it survives in the island’s remaining forest patches and is threatened by the combination of tiny range, habitat loss, and trapping for the pet trade. (Wikipedia — Camiguin hanging parrot)
Identities
| Source Type | Identity |
|---|---|
| Wikipedia | Camiguin hanging parrot |
| Wikidata | Camiguin hanging parrot (Q1273762) |
| DBpedia | N/A |
| ProductOntology | N/A |
| Wiktionary | N/A |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) | N/A |
| MeSH | N/A |
| NCBI Taxonomy | N/A |
| AGROVOC | N/A |
| Google Scholar | Loriculus camiguinensis Camiguin hanging parrot new species endemic Camiguin conservation |
| ConceptNet | N/A |
| OpenCyc | N/A |
Also Known As
- Camiguin colasisi (informal local-equivalent name)
Examples and Analogies
- A bird hiding in a famous bird’s clothes: For decades islanders and scientists alike filed it under the colasisi — like discovering a new neighbor had been living in your building for years wearing your friend’s jacket.
- Pocket parrot: Barely larger than a sparrow, it hangs upside-down to feed like a gymnast the size of a kiwi fruit.
Usage Scenarios
1. Small-Island Endemism Studies
Its discovery on a well-visited island is used to argue that even Philippine “known” islands can harbor unrecognized species.
2. Forest Remnant Management
Camiguin reforestation projects list it as a target beneficiary alongside the island’s other endemics.
3. Pet-Trade Enforcement
As a recently described endemic, it illustrates why protecting all island parrots matters even before taxonomy catches up.
Strategies
- Protect and reconnect Camiguin’s remaining forest patches, especially flowering and fruiting corridors
- Suppress trapping through community education, since small-island parrot populations cannot absorb sustained offtake
- Monitor populations with periodic standardized counts to establish the baseline the species still lacks
Security and Safety Measures
- Protected under Philippine wildlife law; collecting wild birds for pets is illegal
- Report caged endemic parrots seen for sale to DENR enforcement
- Keep cats indoors near forest edges on Camiguin, as small parrots are easy prey
Historical Context
Ornithologists examining museum series of Philippine hanging parrots noticed in the 1990s that Camiguin specimens consistently differed — redder crown, different throat, distinctive bill — and formal description followed in the 2000s, making it one of the Philippines’ most recently named birds. The delay owed everything to its resemblance to the common colasisi and to Camiguin’s small size: a species can be overlooked precisely where everybody looks, if it resembles its relatives. Its naming instantly enrolled it in Camiguin’s celebrated roster of island endemics, giving conservationists a new flag for the island’s forests and biologists a reminder that the Philippine species list is still open.
Challenges and Controversies
Range and Numbers Unknown
No rigorous population estimate exists for a bird confined to one small island, leaving its IUCN ranking cautious.
Trapping Pressure
Small hanging parrots remain seasonal targets for the caged-bird trade on small islands.
Related Topic
Colasisi