THE SOLITARY LORY
Phigys solitarius

By Dick Schroeder of Cuttlebone Plus+

The Solitary or Collared Lory is an incredible little lory found on the larger Fijian islands; Lau Archipelago south to Lakemba and Oneata. The sexes are alike, with the forehead, lories & crown, as well as the abdomen being a deep purple. It gets it's common name "collared" from the elongated bright green feathers on the hind neck and mantle. These feathers can be erected from each side, forming two fans on the side of the head. The red feathers in the mantle are elongated as well. The wings are dark green and the rump is light green. The remainder of the plumage is red. The bill is orange and the legs and feet are pinkish. Length: 71/2 in.

I have in my collection a bird that is certainly a very close relative of this beautiful specie. It is a Kuhls Lory ( Vini kuhlii). Not being a taxonomist I can't swear to it, but they are similar in so many areas That I would suggest that P. solitarius (the only member of it's genus, by the way) is most closely related to the little Vini (which also includes the beautiful Tahitian Blue Lory V.peruviana). In fact, the only place in the U.S.A where you can see both of these species is at the San Diego Zoo. The Solitary Lory has never been common in captivity, with the first importation into Europe occurring in the 1870's. That's 15,00 miles by boat! The next report in England was in 1925, then the famous Duke of Bedford had them in his collection, where he bred them in the 1930's. There is no report of them having been bred in the US, although the San Diego Zoo had them in 1970. They have been bred on several occasions at Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney, Australia. The noted Swiss aviculturalist, Dr. Burkard had bred them into the third generation in the late '70's.

They still seem to be quite common in the wild in Fiji, where large flocks of them can be seen feeding in the coconut palms along the seashore. I spoke with longtime aviculturalist Gail Worth about her recent trip to Fiji . She said the lories were everywhere, in the towns as well as in the outlying areas. They fly at a remarkable rate of speed, looking like nothing more than a brief flash of color zipping through the trees. There favorite food in Fiji seems to be the flowers of the coconut palms, where they feed on the pollen and nectar. They also consume other flowers as well as soft fruits.

With the changes in the import laws, and Fiji's refusal of wildlife exports (except to Zoos) it certain, and rightfully so, that this wonderful specie will never be in the pet trade. It is hoped by many fellow "loriculturalists", that a few pairs will trickle into the hands of able, private breeders, where we can try our luck at establishing this feathered gem in aviculture.

This bit of information was brought to you by:
Cuttlebone Plus+

Articles are Copyright Up At Six and cannot be reprinted without the written permission of Up At Six and the author.

Last Revised: Tue Jul 29 18:49:37 2008 ( Damian )
Return to Articles