_Red Rumped Parrakeet_ Latham, Syn. I, p. 249, No. 50 (1781).
_Psittacus novae seelandiae_ Gmelin (nec. Sparrm.), S.N. I, p. 328, No.
83 (1788).
_Psittacus zealandicus_ Latham, Ind. Orn. I, p. 102, No. 58 (1790).
_Psittacus novae-zealandiae_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 44, var. 1 (1820).
_Psittacus erythronotus_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 45, No. 67 (1820).
_Psittacus pacificus_ var. No. 3, Vieillot, Enc. Méth., p. 1387 (1823).
_Platycercus pacificus_, part. Vigors, Zool. Journ. I, p. 529 (1825).
_Platycercus erythronotus_ Stephens, Gen. Zool. XIV., p. 129, No. 9
(1826).
_Conurus phaeton_ Des Murs, Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 449.
_Platycercus phaeton_ Des Murs, Icon. Orn. pl. 16 (1845).
_Cyanorhamphus pacificus_ Bonaparte, Rev. et. Mag. 1854, p. 153, No.
184.
_Cyanorhamphus erythronotus_ Gray, Hand-list II, p. 140, No. 8029
(1870).
_Cyanorhamphus forsteri_ Finsch, Papag. II, p. 270 (1868).
This bird has received a variety of names owing to the adult bird being
very different to the younger and quite young birds. _Adult_, forehead
black; stripe from lores passing through eye almost to hind-neck scarlet;
rump scarlet; back and breast dull green; cheeks, head, neck, belly,
under-tail coverts and wing coverts, bright green. Flight-feathers blue on
outer, brown on inner, webs; bend of wing blue; tail feathers blue, edged
with green.
_Young_ differs in having a dull bluish-black forehead, brownish head, back
mixed brown and green, rump and eye stripe chestnut red, and the underside
greyish green.
This species was confined to the Society Islands, where it was obtained
during Cook's Voyage by Ellis and by Forster, and lastly by Lieutenant de
Marolles in 1844. We only know for certain at the present day of the
existence of two specimens, one in the British Museum, ex Massena
collection, whose origin is doubtful, and one in Paris, collected by
Lieutenant de Marolles. What became of the other two specimens of the
latter's collecting, and of Forster's and Ellis' specimens, I cannot say.
Habitat: Society Islands.