October 28 - November 30, 2024: Issue 636

Birds at Our Window: Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Usually seen in our yard during Winter when the Pittwater spotted gums are flowering, a pair of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus) visited this week. They join the pair of magpies nesting in the Norfolk pine, a pair of Corellas nesting in the hollow of a spotted gum in the front yard, a currawong pair and the figbirds have returned again too.

The common name describes this bird's yellow breast feathers broadly edged with green that look like scales.

The scaly-breasted lorikeet is about 23 cm (9.1 in) long. The crown and sides of head are emerald-green slightly tinged with blue, while the feathers of the back of the neck and throat and breast are yellow, broadly edged with green, giving scaly appearance. The tail is green with the base of the outer tail-feathers marked with orange-red. The lower flanks, thighs and undertail-coverts green are strongly marked with yellow, while the underwing-coverts are orange-red. They have orange-red eyes, and their bills (beaks) are dark coral-red. Their legs are generally grey-brown.

Male and female are similar in external appearance. Juveniles appear similar to adults, but their tails are shorter. Eyes are pale brown or black, and bills are brown with some yellow markings or orange with brown markings.

This lorikeet is common in most timbered areas of Eastern Australia from Bamaga, the tip of North Queensland, south to Illawarra district on the New South Wales south coast; also on some offshore islands. They are generally confined to coastal plains and adjacent tablelands; occasionally found along watercourses west of the Great Dividing Range. They favour open, lightly timbered areas and melaleuca thickets.

Scaly-breasted lorikeets have similar habits to the related rainbow lorikeet, and the two species often group together in mixed flocks. Both species feed mainly on nectar, such as that from the broad-leaved paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia), and pollen, but they also eat blossoms, berries, other fruit, and insects and their larvae.

Breeding occurs in all months except March and April though usually August–January in the southern part of its range. These birds nest in hollow trees, usually high above the ground, with a layer of wood dust serving as a mattress at the bottom. They usually lay two eggs, rarely three; they are white, oval, and about 26 x 20 mm. Incubation lasts about 25 days. Males spend time in the nest hollow, but apparently do not share in the incubation. Both parents feed the young, which leave the nest six to eight weeks after hatching.

Scaly-breasted lorikeets are extremely noisy birds and attract attention by their screeching and chattering. The contact call of these birds is a metallic, rolling, continuous screech in flight. They have a shrill chatter when feeding. While resting, they have a soft, gentle twitter. Although, these birds can be quite noisy as mating season draws nearer, they most often make loud tweets/squawks when looking for their food.

Information: BirdLife Australia, Museums Australia and Wikipedia. Pics: AJG/PON