Bird of the day
Blue-backed parrot
Tanygnathus everetti
The blue-backed parrot (Tanygnathus everetti), also known as Müller's (or Mueller's) parrot and Burbridge's parrot (for the Sulu subspecies) is a large, endangered species of parrot endemic to the Philippines. It is found in tropical moist lowland forest but is now feared locally extinct in a large part of its range including Negros, Panay, Leyte, Luzon and Polilio. The only recent records are in Samar, Mindanao and Tawi-tawi with the population being estimated below 250 individuals. Flocks are small and often active at night. Its main threats are habitat loss and trapping for the pet trade.
It is illegal to hunt, capture or possess blue-backed parrots under Philippine Law RA 9147.
It is of medium size (32 cm), primarily green with yellowish edging to the wings, a blue rump, and blue wing bends. The head, mantle, wings and tail are darker green, the belly and collar are lighter green. It is sexually dimorphic, with the male having a red beak and the female a pale yellow or horn colored beak.
It is often confused for the Blue-naped parrot, but is differentiated by its red iris, more plain green plummage on wings, more pronounced sexual dimorphism, slightly larger size and vocalizations. In the Sulu archipelago where both species are still present, it prefers more inland and deep forest compared to the Blue-naped parrot.