Profile
In flight
Parrots
Musk Lorikeet
Glossopsitta concinna
- rare
- 59 km/h
- Least Concern
Red forehead patch and blue crown. Feeds on nectar from eucalyptus, bottlebrush, and grevillea, plus fruit and insects.
- Population
- Not numerically quantified by IUCN/BirdLife; described as common to very common, with a stable population trend
- Habitat
- Tall open dry eucalypt forests and woodlands (canopy-dwelling, medium forest dependency), also rural gardens, parks, plantations and suburban/urban areas; nomadic, tracking flowering eucalypts; occurs sea level to ~1,300 m
- Fun fact
- Musk Lorikeets are among the few Australian parrots to have successfully adapted to rapid urbanization, with flocks colonizing cities like Melbourne and Sydney over recent decades — though they still show a preference for outer suburbs over denser inner-city areas.
- Range
- Endemic to southeastern Australia: eastern New South Wales, all regions of Victoria, southeastern South Australia, and Tasmania; extent of occurrence approx. 1,690,000 km² (confirmed via BirdLife DataZone)
- Diet
- Primarily nectar and pollen from eucalypt, Grevillea, and bottlebrush blossoms, taken with a brush-tipped tongue; also seeds, fruit (e.g. apples, apricots), and some insects
- Size
- 0.22 m
- Lifespan
- 21.3 years
