Vasa parrot 3568613 201604324 2008-03-28T16:26:41Z Höyhens 394417 fi: :''The name Vasa Parrot is also used for the Greater Vasa Parrot.'' {{Taxobox | status = LC | trend = down | name = Vasa Parrot | image = Black parrot-2 31l07.JPG | image_width = 200px | image_caption = Lesser Vasa Parrot | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[Psittaciformes]] | familia = [[Psittacidae]] | subfamilia = [[Psittacinae]] | tribus = [[Psittacini]] | genus = '''''Coracopsis''''' | genus_authority = [[Johann Georg Wagler|Wagler]], 1832 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = * ''[[Greater Vasa Parrot|Coracopsis vasa]]'' * ''[[Lesser Vasa Parrot|Coracopsis nigra]]'' }} The '''vasa parrots''' ('''''Coracopsis''''') are two [[species]] of [[parrot]] which are endemic to [[Madagascar]] and other [[island]]s in the western [[Indian Ocean]]. == Taxonomy and distribution == The vasa parrots are 'true' parrots meaning that they have squared off tails, like [[African Grey]]s and [[Amazon parrot]]s. There are two species: * [[Greater Vasa Parrot]] ''C. vasa'' * [[Lesser Vasa Parrot]] ''C. nigra'' (also known as Black Parrot) == Appearance == They are notable in the parrot world for their peculiar appearance, which includes extremely truncated bodies with long necks, black to grey [[feather]]s and a pink [[beak]]. The skin of both female and male Vasas turns yellow during the [[breeding season]], and there is often feather loss. However in females the feather loss can result in complete baldness. Another interesting feature of the females breeding [[physiology]] is when her feathers, which are usually black to grey, turn brown without a moult. This is caused by the redistribution of [[melanin]], which is the [[pigment]] that makes the Vasas' feathers black. == Unusual characteristics == In addition to their appearance they possess aspects of their physiology that make them completely unique amongst parrots. Vasa chicks are known to hatch after only 18-20 days of [[Avian incubation|incubation]], which is highly irregular as parrots of the Vasa size range tend to take up to 30 days to hatch. The male Vasas' [[cloaca]] is able to invert into a [[hemipenis]], which becomes erect during mating - a feature unique to the [[genus]]. Baby Vasas possess pads on their beaks which when stimulated prompt a strong feeding response. These pads disappear after only a few weeks, however the feeding or 'weaning' [[reflex]] remains unusually strong well into adulthood. Often [[aviculturalist]]s have to use a [[syringe]] to force food into the crops of young Vasas as the intensity of the weaning reflex prevents them from being spoon fed. Vasa parrots infected with the debilitating [[Psittacine beak and feather disease]] are known to turn white, which, during the 1970s when the first wave of birds were exported into [[Europe]] and [[Americas|America]], resulted in them being mistakenly advertised by importers as [[albino]]s. <br/> {{commonscat_show2|Coracopsis|Psittacidae}} ==External&nbsp;links== [[Category:Parrots]] [[Category:Psittacini]] [[Category:Genera of birds]] [[fi:Mustakaijat]] [[fr:Coracopsis]] [[hu:Coracopsis]] [[sv:Vasapapegoja]]