Collared lory, Vini solitarius (formerly, Phigys solitarius, protonym; Psittacus solitarius), also known as the Fijian lory, solitary lory, or the ruffed lory, photographed at Kadavu Island, Fiji.
Image: Kevin Sharp [velociraptorize].
Question: This stunning mystery bird species is a member of a subgroup of birds that have one particular habit that sets them apart from all others in the group; what habit is that? This habit also gives these birds a distinct morphological feature, can you tell me what that is?
Response: This is a pair of collared lories, Vini solitarius, also known as the Fijian lory in honour of the island archipelago where it is endemic. This bird is a member of the parrot subfamily, loriinae, or the lories. Lories consume nectar (the amount varies for different species), and they act as pollinators on the South Sea islands where they occur. Lories have a brush on the tip of their tongue that helps them collect nectar.
This particular species of lory is special because its brilliant red plumage was used as currency by the natives of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. This bird, known as the "Kula" by the natives, is now restricted to several islands in the Fijian archipelago, but subfossil evidence shows it had a much larger range which also included many islands throughout the Tongan archipelago. This species was driven extinct in Tonga by the natives.
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