Cardinal lory

The cardinal lory (Pseudeos cardinalis) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. The cardinal lory lives mainly in the mangrove and the lowland forests of the Solomon Islands, Bougainville Island and easternmost islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. It was previously placed in the genus Chalcopsitta.

Cardinal lory
At Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay, USA
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittaculidae
Genus:	Pseudeos
Species:	P. cardinalis
Binomial name
Pseudeos cardinalis (Gray, 1849)
Synonyms
Chalcopsitta cardinalis

It prefers Syzygium species and other fruit-bearing trees that have red blossoms.^{[citation needed]}

Description

At Loro Parque, Spain

The cardinal lory is 31 cm (12 in) long. All plumage is red. The beak is orange with black at its base. The bare skin at base of beak and around eyes is black, and the irises are orange-red. Its legs are grey. The male and female are identical in external appearance. The beaks of the juveniles are dull orange with more prominent black areas than the adults, pale grey eye-rings, and yellow irises.^[2]

Aviculture

In 1989, the Solomon Islands permitted a few cardinal lories to be exported to the United States. However, because of the Wild Bird Conservation Act in 1992, the exportation of cardinal lories from the Solomon Islands to the US was banned except for approved breeding.^{[citation needed]}