Purple-crowned lorikeet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Purple-crowned lorikeet |
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| Purple-crowned lorikeet | |
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Glossopsitta porphyrocephala |
The purple-crowned lorikeet (Parvipsitta porphyrocephala) is a small, colorful bird. It is a type of lorikeet found in southern Australia. People also call it the zit parrot because of its loud call. This bird lives in areas with mallee trees and scrubland. You can easily spot it by its bright purple head, orange forehead, and light blue chest.
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About the Purple-Crowned Lorikeet
This lorikeet is about 15 cm (6 in) long. Male birds have a dark purple crown and a yellow-orange forehead. Their upper body is green, with a bronze tint on the neck. The chin, chest, and belly are a pretty powder blue. Their green tail has some orange-red at the base. When they fly, you can see bright crimson patches under their wings. They have a small black beak, brown eyes, and grey feet.
Female purple-crowned lorikeets look similar to males. However, their eyes are a bit darker, and their ear feathers are paler. They also do not have the crimson patches under their wings. Young birds are not as colorful and do not have the purple crown yet.
What Does the Purple-Crowned Lorikeet Sound Like?
The purple-crowned lorikeet makes a high-pitched, loud tsit sound. They also chatter a lot when they are eating in the treetops. Their call is not as low as the musk lorikeet's but higher than the little lorikeet's.
Where Do Purple-Crowned Lorikeets Live?
You can find the purple-crowned lorikeet in southwestern Western Australia. They also live in southern South Australia, from the Eyre Peninsula to East Gippsland in Victoria. These birds are also on Kangaroo Island. However, they do not live in Tasmania. The purple-crowned lorikeet is the only native lorikeet found in Western Australia.
These birds often move around to find food. They like dry sclerophyll forests, town parks, and gardens. They especially like places where Eucalyptus trees are flowering.
Purple-Crowned Lorikeet Behavior
Purple-crowned lorikeets usually live in small groups. Sometimes, many of them gather together in larger flocks. They might even join groups of Little- and musk lorikeets. These birds are very fast flyers and usually stay high up in the forest canopy.
What Do Purple-Crowned Lorikeets Eat?
These lorikeets are known as "blossom nomads." This means they travel to find flowering trees. They often show up in areas where they haven't been seen for a while. They love to eat nectar and pollen from the flowers of different Eucalyptus and Melaleuca trees. They also eat from the boobialla plant (Myoporum insulare).
Purple-Crowned Lorikeet Reproduction
The breeding season for purple-crowned lorikeets is from August to December. They usually have one group of babies during this time. They build their nests in small, unlined hollows inside eucalypt trees. These hollows often have a small entrance hole. Sometimes, many lorikeets will nest close together in colonies.
A female lorikeet lays 2 to 4 matte white, roundish eggs. Each egg is about 20 x 17 mm in size. The eggs hatch after about 17 days.
Images for kids
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Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Port Augusta, South Australia
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At Rainbow Jungle,
Kalbarri, Western Australia -
Purple-crowned lorikeet, Port Augusta, South Australia
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Purple-crowned lorikeet, Port Augusta, South Australia
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See also
In Spanish: Lori coronipúrpura para niños
