Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Subsectio: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Cladus: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Euornithes
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Ornithurae
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Ordo: Psittaciformes
Familia: Psittaculidae
Subfamilia: Loriinae
Genus: Vini
Species: Vini kuhlii
Name
Vini kuhlii (Vigors, 1824)
Original combination Psttacus kuhlii
References
Zool.J. 1 p.412 BHL, pl.16.
Vini kuhlii – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
IUCN: Vini kuhlii (Endangered)
Vernacular names
català: Lori de Kuhl
Cymraeg: Lori Kühl
Deutsch: Rubinlori
English: Kuhl's Lorikeet
español: Lori de Rimatara
suomi: Tubuainlurikki
français: Lori de Kuhl
日本語: ムスメインコ
кырык мары: Рубин ӹдӹр лори
Nederlands: Kuhls lori
polski: Loreczka rubinowa
русский: Рубиновый лори-отшельник
svenska: rimataralorikit
Kuhl's lorikeet (Vini kuhlii), also called the Rimitara lorikeet, Kuhl's lory, Manu 'Ura (local appellation) or Kura (Cook Islands), is a species of lorikeet in the family Psittaculidae. It is one of several species of Vini lorikeets found in islands ranging across the South Pacific. The Kuhl for whom Nicholas Aylward Vigors named the bird in 1824 was Heinrich Kuhl, a German ornithologist whose survey of the parrots, Conspectus psittacorum, had appeared in 1819.
Description
It is a fast flying lorikeet with vibrant plumage; a green back, wings and crown, a blue nape and legs and bright red undersides and cheeks.
Habitat
The Kuhl's lorikeet's habitat is natural tropical moist lowland forests and plantations. Like all Vini lorikeets it is a nectarivore, and has a brushy tongue to acquire the nectar. In islands denuded of native forests and covered with extensive coconut plantations it is found exclusively in those areas. It was once present in the Cook Islands but is now restricted to islands of French Polynesia (Only found on the island of Rimatara) and has been introduced in Kiribati.
Threats
On the Cook Islands, the Kuhl's lorikeet has been exploited for its red feathers. They are also trapped for the international bird trade. Black rats were introduced to their native range by Europeans, and is now a predator of the lorikeet. The bird also faces competition and the disturbances of nests from the Common myna. [2]
Status and conservation
Studies of fossils have shown that it once had a widespread distribution from the Cook Islands to French Polynesia. Its range contracted greatly after the arrival of humans, until the only surviving natural population was on Rimatara in the Austral Islands of Southern French Polynesia. Like many island species, Kuhl's lorikeet is threatened by introduced black rats. Its colourful feathers have also meant that the species was regularly hunted. The species was also introduced to several islands in Kiribati. The last native population was protected by a tapu or taboo by Queen Tamaeva V of Rimatara around 1900. In 2007 a population was reintroduced to the black-rat-free island of Atiu in the Cook Islands by the Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust and numerous conservation bodies, including the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.[3] In 2008, the introduced population was found to be reproducing. In 2019, successful reproduction resulted in an estimated population of over 400 individuals on the island of Atiu.[4]
References
BirdLife International (2016). "Vini kuhlii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22684630A93038207. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22684630A93038207.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
"KUHL'S LORIKEET". World Parrot Trust. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
"Saved by one Queen and Brought Home by Another: Rimatara Lorikeet Returns to the Cook Islands". BirdLife International. 27 September 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
"Ten years later, rare bird is well established on Atiu". Cook Islands News. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
Chong F, Kape J. (2010). "'Ia ora te 'Ura! Vive le 'Ura! 'Ura, un tres bel oiseau endemique de Rimatara menace", Bulletin de la Société des Études océaniennes, (319): 10–33. Mentioned here http://www.seo.pf/bseo-319.html Volume 311 here http://bibnum.upf.pf/items/show/881#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0 (in French)
McCormack, G. (2008). The Rimatara Lorikeet or Kura in Atiu (Cook Islands): First Annual Report.
Steadman, David W. (15 October 2006). Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-77142-7.
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