Vini is a genus of birds in the family Psittaculidae that are endemic to the islands of the tropical Pacific. There are eleven extant species of these small lorikeets ranging from the Bismark Archipelago through Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia, and as far east as Henderson Island. All members of the genus have exceptional bright plumage, particularly the unusual all over blues of the blue lorikeet and the ultramarine lorikeet.
| Vini | |
|---|---|
| |
| Blue-crowned lorikeet (Vini australis) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Tribe: | Loriini |
| Genus: | Vini Lesson, RP, 1833 |
| Type species | |
| Vini coccinea Lesson, 1833
| |
The Vini lorikeets are highly threatened by human changes to their islands. Most species have been lost from a number of islands and two species became extinct before the arrival of European explorers in the Pacific. As of 2017[update], two species are listed as endangered species by the IUCN and two are considered vulnerable.[1] They are primarily threatened by introduced species, such as rats, and habitat loss.
Taxonomy
editThe genus Vini was introduced in 1833 by the French naturalist René Lesson for Kuhl's lorikeet.[2][3] The genus name is the Tahitian word for a local bird.[2][4][5]
This genus formerly included only the blue-crowned, ultramarine, Stephen's, Kuhl's, and blue lorikeets (as well as the extinct Sinoto's and conquered lorikeets); the collared lory was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Phigys, and the remaining five species were placed in Charmosyna. A molecular phylogenetic study of the lorikeets published in 2020 led to a revision of the generic boundaries.[6][7][8]
Species
editThe genus contains 11 species:[8]
| Image | Common name | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Red-throated lorikeet | Vini amabilis | Fiji |
 |
Blue-crowned lorikeet | Vini australis | Futuna, Lau Islands, Niue, Samoan Islands and Tonga |
 |
New Caledonian lorikeet | Vini diadema | New Caledonia |
 |
Kuhl's lorikeet | Vini kuhlii | Austral Islands (Rimatara), Cook Islands (Atiu) and Kiribati (Line Islands) |
| Meek's lorikeet | Vini meeki | Solomon Archipelago | |
 |
Palm lorikeet | Vini palmarum | Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu |
 |
Blue lorikeet | Vini peruviana | French Polynesia and the Cook Islands |
 |
Red-chinned lorikeet | Vini rubrigularis | Bismarck Archipelago |
 |
Stephen's lorikeet | Vini stepheni | Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands |
.jpg) |
Collared lory | Vini solitaria | Fiji |
 |
Ultramarine lorikeet | Vini ultramarina | Marquesas Islands |
Fossils
edit- †Sinoto's lorikeet, Vini sinotoi (extinct)[9]
- †Conquered lorikeet, Vini vidivici (extinct)[9]
References
edit- ^ "The IUCN Red Data List of Threatened Species: Vini". IUCN Red List. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
- ^ a b Lesson, René P. (1833). Illustrations de zoologie, ou, Recueil de figures d'animaux peintes d'après nature (in French). Paris: Arthus Bertrand. Plate 28 and text, livraison 10. For the publication date see: Dickinson, E.C.; Overstreet, L.K.; Dowsett, R.J.; Bruce, M.D. (2011). Priority! The Dating of Scientific Names in Ornithology: a Directory to the literature and its reviewers. Northampton, UK: Aves Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-9568611-1-5.
- ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1937). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 156.
- ^ [Davies, John] (1851). "Vini". A Tahitian and English Dictionary. Tahiti: London Missionary Society's Press. p. 314.
the name of a small paroquet
- ^ Wahlroos, Sven (2002). "Vini". English-Tahitian Tahitian-English Dictionary. Honolulu: Māʻohi Heritage Press. p. 684.
(1) Tahiti parakeet; (2) small birds of various species imported to Tahiti
- ^ Smith, B.T.; Mauck, W.M.I.; Benz, B.W.; Andersen, M.J. (2020). "Uneven missing data skew phylogenomic relationships within the lories and lorikeets". Genome Biology and Evolution. 12 (7): 1131–1147. doi:10.1093/gbe/evaa113. PMC 7486955. PMID 32470111.
- ^ Joseph, L.; Merwin, J.; Smith, B.T. (2020). "Improved systematics of lorikeets reflects their evolutionary history and frames conservation priorities". Emu - Austral Ornithology. 120 (3): 201–215. Bibcode:2020EmuAO.120..201J. doi:10.1080/01584197.2020.1779596. S2CID 222094508.
- ^ a b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (July 2021). "Parrots, cockatoos". IOC World Bird List Version 11.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ a b Steadman, David W. (2006). Extinction and Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds. Chicago, IL, US: University of Chicago Press. p. 525. ISBN 978-0-226-77142-7.
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