Red-breasted Pygmy-Parrot Micropsitta bruijnii Scientific name definitions

8–9 cm; 12–16 g. Forehead rusty shading to dull blue on hind-crown, nape, sides of neck and frontal half-collar; face yellow shading redder on ear-coverts; breast to undertail-coverts orange-red; back and flanks green; wings green with black spotting on median wing-coverts; tail blue centrally, black laterally. Female has whitish buff forehead and face, blue crown, rest green with yellow underparts. Immature like female with whitish forehead and face. Race <em>pileata</em> claimed to have deeper and more extended rust-red on crown, although this is not readily apparent on the only skins; necopinata has deep brown crown, yellowish in centre, with red-orange face and yellow undertail-coverts; rosea has crown reddish pink, face pinker than nominate.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Individuals recently recorded in Obi (NC Moluccas) possibly of a new subspecies (1 Mittermeier, J. C., H. E. W. Cottee-Jones, E. C. Purba, N. M. Ashuri, E. Hesdianti, and J. Supriatna (2013). A survey of the avifauna of Obi island, North Moluccas, Indonesia. Forktail 29:128–137. Close ).

---

SUBSPECIES

Micropsitta bruijnii pileata Scientific name definitions

Distribution

S Moluccas (Seram and Buru)

---

SUBSPECIES

Micropsitta bruijnii bruijnii Scientific name definitions

Distribution

mountains of New Guinea from Vogelkop Peninsula in W to Huon Peninsula and Owen Stanley Range in E.

---

SUBSPECIES

Micropsitta bruijnii necopinata Scientific name definitions

Distribution

New Britain and New Ireland (Bismarck Archipelago).

---

SUBSPECIES

Micropsitta bruijnii rosea Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Bougainville, Guadalcanal and Kolambangara (Solomon Is).

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Food gleaned methodically from on or under bark in upper branches of trees, sometimes with regular mechanical pecking action, but stomach contents usually indeterminate; fungus, lichen and moss have been observed being taken; white paste found in stomachs may be corollas of white-flowered Schefflera, which contain a great deal of nectar. Has been seen feeding on fruit and possibly also flowers and lichen in canopy of Syzygium tree.

Calls comprise short, high-pitched and often slightly buzzy notes such as “tzeee” or “tsit”. Also brief phrases of several different notes, ranging from a disyllabic “see-sit” to a longer “tsi-see-sit”.

Dec–Apr. Nest is hole in dead stump or tree, 3–4 m from ground; one was apparently attended by a male and two females.