Known also as Dracula’s parrot, Pesquet’s parrot is a majestic bird.
One species of bird found in New Guinea has a name that is quite frightening Dracula parrot. There is an endemic parrot on the island of Pesquet called the Pesquet’s parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus), whose habitat includes the island’s unspoiled hills and montane rainforests. This bird has the same luxurious coloration as Count Dracula’s cape, but its appearance can be deceiving.
Dracula parrots are relatively large parrots, measuring approximately 18 inches in length and weighing approximately 1.5 to 1.75 pounds. This bird is quite similar to a vulture because of its large head, long teeth, and hooked beak. The vulturine parrot gets its name for this reason. This bird will not eat human flesh, despite its colloquial names.
Dracula parrots are frugivores, which means that fruit is their preferred food. It’s not just any fruit we’re talking about for this parrot. There are only a few species of figs that these parrots eat. This explains why they don’t migrate and usually stick to one area. They are also the only parrot species without bare facial feathers since the fruits they eat would cause their feathers to matt.
The Dracula Parrot.
It’s not unusual to see groups of 10 to 14 roosting in the trees when they are left alone in areas where they aren’t hunted. The most common way to find them is in pairs. The Dracula parrot is believed to live for 20 to 40 years and nests in hollow trees. The eggs are laid only one to two at a time.
As the only parrots in their genus and the subfamily Psittrichadinae, these rare birds are truly rare. On the Red List of the IUCN, this parrot is classified as vulnerable. The main reasons for this are poaching and habitat destruction. Collectors highly prize the feathers of the Dracula parrot, making them a target of poachers. Dracula parrots in the wild have decreased significantly from the 20,000-50,000 estimated a few years ago.
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