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Scaly-breasted Lorikeet

Calls
High-pitched rolling screeches.
Facts and Figures
Research Species: 
No
Minimum Size: 
22cm
Maximum Size: 
24cm
Average size: 
23cm
Average weight: 
86g
Breeding season: 
August to Februrary
Clutch Size: 
2
Incubation: 
24 days
Nestling Period: 
42 days
Conservation Status
Federal: 
Secure
NSW: 
Secure
NT: 
Not present
QLD: 
Secure
SA: 
Not present
TAS: 
Not present
VIC: 
Not present
WA: 
Not present
Associated Plants
Plants associated with this species
Blackbutt
Eucalyptus pilularis; Scribbly Gum
Eucaluptus haemastoma; Umbrella Tree
Schefflera actinophylla
Basic Information
Scientific Name: 
Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
Featured bird groups: 
Parrots
Atlas Number: 
256
What does it look like?
Description: 

The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet's beak and eyes are red, and it is the only lorikeet with an all-green head combined with a red beak. Sexes appear the same, with green upper-wings and body, marked with yellow 'scales' on the breast and neck. In flight, Scaly-breasted Lorikeets have two-tone, red-orange underwings with grey trailing edges.

Similar species: 

The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet is similar in size and shape to the Rainbow Lorikeet, T. haematodus, but can be distinguished by its all-green head and body.

Where does it live?
Distribution: 

The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet occurs across coastal regions of eastern Australia from the tip of Cape York in Queensland, through to Wollongong in New South Wales.

Habitat: 

The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet lives in lowland eucalypt forests and woodlands but also occurs in heathlands and well-treed urban areas, including parks and gardens.

Seasonal movements: 

Appears to be sedentary, although numbers in any particular area often fluctuate in response to seasonal flowering of eucalypts.

What does it do?
Feeding: 

Scaly-breasted Lorikeets feed in flocks, sometimes joining flocks of Rainbow Lorikeets. They feed on nectar and pollen that they harvest with their brush-tongues, mostly from eucalypts, but also from shrubs such as melaleucas, callistemons and banksias. They also forage from a range of garden plants, including nectar, pollen, fruits and seeds from umbrella trees.

Breeding: 

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet females lay their eggs on a bed of decayed wood in a hollow limb, or where a branch has broken from the trunk of a eucalypt tree, at a height of between 3 m and 25 m above the ground. Both the male and female modify the nest hollow by chewing off pieces of wood, and this can take six weeks. Only the female incubates the eggs, but the male feeds her on the nest. Both sexes feed the young.

Living with us

Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are sometimes found in urban parks and gardens, particularly those with flowering eucalypts and umbrella trees. There is anecdotal evidence that they are declining in Sydney due to competition with Rainbow Lorikeets, which have increased in abundance, possible because of the provision of artificial food.

References: 
Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs.
Field guide to Australian Birds.
Field guide to the birds of Australia, 6th Edition
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia.
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, Volume 4 {(Parrots} to Dollarbird)
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