Edwards’s Fig Parrot

1 Edwards’s Fig Parrot Breed Overview

Edwards’s Fig Parrot is a relatively large fig parrot whose sex can be told from appearance: the male has a red chest and belly, the female blue-purple, and juveniles resemble the female. It mainly inhabits humid lowland forests, as well as open woodland, forest edges, and human settlements, usually below 800 m elevation, moving in pairs or small flocks and being noisy. At fruiting trees it may gather in flocks of around 400, moving quickly and agilely, often hanging upside down among branches to feed. Its main food is figs, nectar, insects, and fruit. It is easier to breed than the smaller fig parrots, but shares the same problem of high chick mortality—chicks may die soon after hatching, or parents may refuse to feed them. Pair breeding is ideal; they are sensitive to nest-box checks, so avoid frequently opening the box. Usually 2 eggs per clutch, chicks hatch after 19 days, and fledge in about 2 months.

Chinese Name: Edwards’s Fig Parrot

Scientific Name: Psittaculirostris edwardsii

Also known as: Edwards’s Fig Parrot, Edwards’s Fruit Parrot

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Aves (Birds)

Order: Psittaciformes

Family: Psittacidae

Tribe: Fig Parrots

Genus: Psittaculirostris

Named by and year: Oustalet, 1885

English Name: Edwards’s Fig Parrot

English Name: Edwards’s Fig-Parrot

English Name: Scarlet-cheeked Fig Parrot

2 Physical Characteristics of Edwards’s Fig Parrot

Edwards’s Fig Parrot is a relatively large fig parrot, 18 cm long and weighing 105 g. The male has a yellow-green forehead and crown, with an olive or dark-brown band running from the eye across the nape to the back of the neck, red cheeks and throat, yellow ear coverts, and dense fine red and blue feathers mixed into the neck. The entire upper chest is blue, the upper belly red with a central black band, the coverts orange-red, and a wide yellow stripe inside the wing. The beak is gray-black and the eye red. The female resembles the male but has a blue-purple belly and yellow-green upper belly. The juvenile is colorful and similar to the adult female, but with red markings on the yellow cheeks and red-brown eyes. Edwards’s Fig Parrot is distributed in Indonesia, northern Papua New Guinea, and small parts of Yapen (Yali). It is an active parrot but nervous and shy when first kept, very sensitive during acclimation; minimize unnecessary disturbance and avoid changing the environment.

Edwards’s Fig Parrot is not common in captivity; the total world population should exceed 100,000. Like other fig parrots it is harder to keep—besides fixed amounts of vegetables and fruit, it should be fed lorikeet or frugivorous powdered formula. If kept improperly, unexplained deaths are common.

3 Edwards’s Fig Parrot Care Tips

Edwards’s Fig Parrot is an active parrot but nervous and shy when first kept, very sensitive during acclimation; minimize unnecessary disturbance and avoid changing the environment. It tolerates cold poorly—temperature should not drop below 22°C, and it should not be introduced during large temperature swings or cold snaps, or death and illness rates will be high. Keeping the environment clean and providing varied, nutritious food is important. Vitamin K intake is especially necessary—vegetables, fruit, nectar, seeds, and grains, plus lorikeet or frugivorous powdered formula, which greatly improves survival; added vitamins also help them stay healthy. Because Edwards’s Fig Parrot can die suddenly from unknown causes—especially wild-caught birds—extra care is needed.

Edwards’s Fig Parrot is easier to breed than the smaller fig parrots, but shares the same problem of high chick mortality—chicks may die soon after hatching, or parents may refuse to feed them. Pair breeding is ideal; they are sensitive to nest-box checks, so avoid frequently opening the box. Usually 2 eggs per clutch, chicks hatch after 19 days, and fledge in about 2 months. Like other fig parrots it is harder to keep—besides fixed vegetables and fruit, feed lorikeet or frugivorous powdered formula; if kept improperly, unexplained deaths are common.

4 Edwards’s Fig Parrot Living Environment

Edwards’s Fig Parrot mainly inhabits humid lowland forests, as well as open woodland, forest edges, and human settlements, usually below 800 m elevation, moving in pairs or small flocks and being noisy. At fruiting trees it may gather in flocks of around 400, moving quickly and agilely, often hanging upside down among branches to feed. It often flocks with the Double-eyed Fig Parrot; the breeding season is roughly January to May. It is mainly distributed in northern Papua New Guinea and small parts of Yapen. It is not common in captivity; the total world population should exceed 100,000. Like other fig parrots it is harder to keep—besides fixed vegetables and fruit, feed lorikeet or frugivorous powdered formula; if kept improperly, unexplained deaths are common.

When first kept, Edwards’s Fig Parrot is nervous and shy, very sensitive during acclimation; minimize unnecessary disturbance and avoid changing the environment. It tolerates cold poorly—temperature should not drop below 22°C, and it should not be introduced during large temperature swings or cold snaps, or death and illness rates will be high. Keeping the environment clean and providing varied, nutritious food is important.

5 Edwards’s Fig Parrot Feeding Tips

For Edwards’s Fig Parrot, vitamin K intake is especially necessary—vegetables, fruit, nectar, seeds, and grains, plus lorikeet or frugivorous powdered formula, which greatly improves survival; added vitamins help them stay healthy. Because the parrot can die suddenly from unknown causes—especially wild-caught birds—extra care is needed. Edwards’s Fig Parrot tends to have high chick mortality—chicks may die soon after hatching, or parents may refuse to feed them. Pair breeding is ideal; they are sensitive to nest-box checks, so avoid frequently opening the box. Usually 2 eggs per clutch, chicks hatch after 19 days, and fledge in about 2 months.

When first kept, Edwards’s Fig Parrot is nervous and shy, very sensitive during acclimation; minimize unnecessary disturbance and avoid changing the environment. It tolerates cold poorly—temperature should not drop below 22°C, and it should not be introduced during large temperature swings or cold snaps, or death and illness rates will be high. Keeping the environment clean and providing varied, nutritious food is important. Vitamin K intake is especially necessary—vegetables, fruit, nectar, seeds, and grains, plus lorikeet or frugivorous powdered formula, which greatly improves survival; added vitamins help them stay healthy.