The subspecies Coracopsis nigra sibilans and Coracopsis nigra barklyi are considered as a separate species since 2014: Coracopsis sibilans and Coracopsis barklyi. To my knowledge, in Europe only the subspecies from Madagascar are present in aviculture. It has been reported that the species from the Seychelles (C. barklyi) would be present in a breeder’s collection, however hard evidence for that I have not seen yet. C. barklyi is threatened with extinction and is on CITES List 1. The species from the Comoros C. sibilans has never been imported, as far as I know and about the status in the wild, I have no reliable data. Therefore I will only discuss the subspecies from Madagascar. For a description of the other subspecies, I refer to the website of Jörg: www.
coracopsis.de Madagascar thus has two subspecies:
Coracopsis nigra nigra and Coracopsis nigra libs. The differences between the two subspecies are evident mainly in the colour. However, the difference is subtle and for a non-expert it may be difficult to recognize. In my collection both subspecies are present, so for me it is easier to compare the subtle differences. Just to prevent this article becoming
too long and to keep it still readable I just give a brief description with the
14 BIRD SCENE
most important differences. Both for C. n. nigra as C. n. libs counts that there is no difference in colour between the sexes. Coracopsis nigra nigra is a uniform brown
black coloured bird. Only the outer wing feathers have a steel blue colour. Outside the breeding season, more blue-grey, in the breeding season, more steel blue. The rump and back are equally coloured, just as the rest of their plumage, black and brown. The individual feathers are not uniformly coloured. Especially on the chest, abdomen and wings is a subtle flake pattern recognizable. The head feathers are not equally dark. A darker coloured ear spot is clearly recognizable upon closer observation. Especially in sunlight subtle colour
differences are visible, which change with the variety of the angle at which the light strikes. Colour variations of black, brown, grey and blue make this seemingly dull coloured bird a fascinating appearance. The birds are almost always tight in plumage, which gives them an energetic appearance. Overall, I think they are beautiful birds. Coracopsis nigra libs looks almost the same as C. n. nigra, but lighter coloured. When the birds are kept in an outdoor aviary they colour darker and more brownish-grey. Especially in winter it is harder to distinguish them from C.n. nigra. When libs is kept indoor the brown sheen disappears and the birds will colour bright grey. Also in these subspecies, the outer wing feathers are bluish. In the breeding
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