Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Scientific Name: Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
Did You Know?
Huge flocks of scaly-breasted and rainbow lorikeets congregate at favoured roosting sites at certain times of the year. Thousands may converge in one tree at dusk in a noisy but colourful spectacle. Needless to say, it is not advisable to walk beneath these trees at this time of the day!
Both sexes have a general colour of bright green. The breast is flecked with yellow giving an appearance of scales. The bill is red. Total length is around 23cm.
Habitat:
This pretty lorikeet inhabits most types of country, including parks and gardens, where there are suitable food trees. It is fairly common, and can be a nuisance in orchards. It is nomadic, and often seen in company with rainbow lorikeets. It can be found from Cairns in north Queensland, southward through eastern Queensland to the north-eastern portion of New South Wales. Its normal southern limit is the Sydney area.
Diet:
The scaly-breasted lorikeet feeds on a diet consisting mostly of nectar and pollen from flowering trees and shrubs plus different kinds of fruits and seeds.
Reproduction:
The natural breeding season is from June to February, and the site chosen is a hole, often very high up, in a tree. Both birds prepare their nesting hollow, nibbling away the decayed wood until the cavity is of a suitable size. 2-3 white eggs are laid and incubated by the female for about 25 days.