science

Lord Howe parakeet

Lord Howe parakeet is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lord Howe parakeet rather than just read about it. In short: The Lord Howe parakeet (Cyanoramphus subflavescens), also known as the Lord Howe red-fronted parakeet, is an extinct parrot endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia. It was described as full species by Tommaso Salvadori in 1891, but subsequently it has been regarded as subspecies of the red-crowned parakeet.

Key takeaways

Lord Howe parakeet belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lord Howe parakeet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lord Howe parakeet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Lord Howe parakeet (Cyanoramphus subflavescens), also known as the Lord Howe red-fronted parakeet, is an extinct parrot endemic to Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea, part of New South Wales, Australia. It was described as full species by Tommaso Salvadori in 1891, but subsequently it has been regarded as subspecies of the red-crowned parakeet. In 2012, the IOC World Bird List recognised it as species.

Taxonomy Pending molecular analysis, Christidis & Boles (2008) have suggested on biogeographical grounds that the taxon is likely to be most closely related to the Norfolk Island green parrot (Cyanoramphus cookii), as either a subspecies of what they have tentatively called the Tasman parakeet (Cyanoramphus cookii subflavescens), or possibly a full species (Cyanoramphus subflavescens).

Description

The Lord Howe parakeet was a medium-sized green parrot with a crimson cap and eye-stripe. Measurements of specimens indicate that it was slightly larger than the nominate subspecies, as well as having yellower plumage and less extensive red markings on the head.

Extinction The parrot was formerly abundant on the island, but was persecuted by the early settlers there because of its raids on their crops and gardens. It was last recorded in 1869. Only two specimens of the Lord Howe parakeet exist. They come from the John Gould collection, taken by John MacGillivray in September 1853 on the voyage of HMS Herald, and are held in the Natural History Museum.

References

Further reading Walters, Michael P. & Hume, Julian P.: Extinct Birds, Poyser Monographes A & C Black, 2012. ISBN 978-140-815-725-1 p 171

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lord Howe parakeet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lord Howe parakeet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lord Howe parakeet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lord Howe parakeet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lord Howe parakeet

In research: Lord Howe parakeet appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lord Howe parakeet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lord Howe parakeet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Bird extinctions since 1500, Birds described in 1891, Cyanoramphus, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lord Howe parakeet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lord Howe parakeet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lord Howe parakeet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lord Howe parakeet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lord Howe parakeet in simple terms?

Why does Lord Howe parakeet matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lord Howe parakeet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lord Howe parakeet.