Cardinal Lory Pseudeos cardinalis Scientific name definitions

30–31 cm; 173–215 g. Bright red, darker on back and wings; bill reddish orange, dark at base; bare orbital skin dark; underparts lightly edged yellowish, giving vaguely scalloped appearance; legs grey. Immature paler on back and wings, bill dull orange.

Islands E of New Ireland S through Solomons to Makira (San Cristobal).

Mangroves, lowland forest, secondary growth, coconut groves, wherever trees are flowering , lowlands to 1200 m (830 m on Bougainville). In Makira is mostly a forest specialist (1 Davies, T.E., Clarke, R.H., Ewen, J.G., Fazey, I.R.A., Pettorelli, N. and Cresswell, W. (2015). The effects of land-use change on the endemic avifauna of Makira, Solomon Islands: endemics avoid monoculture. Emu. 115(3): 199–213. Close ).

Birds readily move between islands to feed and roost.

Blossoms of Cocos nucifera in gardens and of Elaeocarpus and Syzygium in primary forest, seemingly preferring food trees with red flowers ; also small berries.

Commonest call a rather high-pitched and rising “tsleet!” or a more buzzy “tzeet!”. When perched, repertoire more extensive including several shrill or grating notes. Groups in flight utter continuous noisy shrieks.

Copulation in Aug, and display in Sept. Only nest reported, Aug, was in hollow, metre-long, near-vertical branch stump near base of 10 m high ridgetop tree, in primary forest at 1150 m, on Kolombangara.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). CITES II. A BirdLife “restricted-range” species. Abundant on Kolombangara, Ghizo, New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Isabel, Bougainville; commonest in coconut plantations and other lowland disturbed sites, less so in lowland and hill forest.