Vini (bird)

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.

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. since 2017Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), two species are listed as endangered species by the IUCN and two are considered vulnerable. They are primarily threatened by introduced species, such as rats, and habitat loss.

Taxonomy

The genus Vini was introduced in 1833 by the French naturalist René Lesson for Kuhl's lorikeet. The genus name is the Tahitian word for a local bird.

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.

Species

The genus contains 11 species:

Image	Common name	Scientific name	Distribution
File:TrichoglossusAureocinctusKeulemans.jpg	Red-throated lorikeet	Vini amabilis	Fiji
File:Vini australis -London Zoo, England-8a.jpg	Blue-crowned lorikeet	Vini australis	Futuna, Lau Islands, Niue, Samoan Islands and Tonga
File:Charmosyna diadema.jpg	New Caledonian lorikeet	Vini diadema	New Caledonia
File:Vini kuhlii 109929524.jpg	Kuhl's lorikeet	Vini kuhlii	Austral Islands (Rimatara), Cook Islands (Atiu) and Kiribati (Line Islands)
	Meek's lorikeet	Vini meeki	Solomon Archipelago
File:TrichoglossusPygmaeusKeulemans.jpg	Palm lorikeet	Vini palmarum	Santa Cruz Islands and Vanuatu
File:Vini peruviana -captive-8a.jpg	Blue lorikeet	Vini peruviana	French Polynesia and the Cook Islands
File:Charmosyna rubrigularis.jpg	Red-chinned lorikeet	Vini rubrigularis	Bismarck Archipelago
File:ViniStepheniGronvold.jpg	Stephen's lorikeet	Vini stepheni	Henderson Island in the Pitcairn Islands
File:Phigys solitarius -San Diego Zoo, California, USA-8a (1).jpg	Collared lory	Vini solitaria	Fiji
File:Vini Ultramarina - Ua Huka - Hane - Marquesas Islands.jpg	Ultramarine lorikeet	Vini ultramarina	Marquesas Islands

Fossils

• †Sinoto's lorikeet, Vini sinotoi (extinct)
• †Conquered lorikeet, Vini vidivici (extinct)

References

Template:Asbox