Genus Lophopsittacus

 

Lophopsittacus bensoni - It was a large, heavy-set parrot, with strong males similar in size to the Palm Cockatoo. Females were considerably smaller. The species is known from early drawings and subfossil bones. It had a long tail and a reduced flight apparatus and was probably flightless. The bill was very large but comparatively weak and probably adapted to crush the pulp of large fruits so that they could be swallowed, pit and all. The color was all bluish gray, and there was a small frontal crest. The discovery of the structure of the bill has led to the hypothesis that this bird, not the dodo, was one of the main animals responsible for propagation of the Tambalacoque or "dodo tree".

 

Lophopsittacus mauritianus - It was a large, heavy-set parrot, with strong males similar in size to the Palm Cockatoo. Females were considerably smaller. The species is known from early drawings and subfossil bones. It had a long tail and a reduced flight apparatus and was probably flightless. The bill was very large but comparatively weak and probably adapted to crush the pulp of large fruits so that they could be swallowed, pit and all. The color was all bluish gray, and there was a small frontal crest. The discovery of the structure of the bill has led to the hypothesis that this bird, not the dodo, was one of the main animals responsible for propagation of the Tambalacoque or "dodo tree".

Order : Psittaciformes
Family : Psittacidae
Genus : Lophopsittacus