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12

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus) Alternate name(s): "Green Lorikeet", "Green and Gold Lorikeet", "Green Keet*" Size: 22-24 cm Weight: 70-100 g

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Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are medium-sized lorikeets. Their plumage is almost all-green, except the breast, which is scalloped green and yellow and the underwings, which have red coverts and a black-orange-black stripe pattern along the flight feathers. The bill is red, the irises are orange and the legs and feet are grey. Juveniles have a brown bill.

Taxonomy, classification See Scaly-breasted Lorikeet at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Scaly-breasted Lorikeet is available HERE . Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are endemic to Australia. They are most common along the coast of South QLD and the far North coast of NSW, but are found along the East coast from the tip of Cape York peninsula to southern VIC. Their range extends up to a few hundred km inland, all through the Great Dividing Range behind the coastal fringe mentioned above. Following human settlement they are extending their range further inland, but they are not found anywhere in the semi-arid or arid interior outside human settlements. Scaly-breasted Lorikeets can be found in open coastal forest and in littoral forest. They have a preference for coastal banksias. They adapt very well to the presence of humans and are often found in urban parks and gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information We first spotted a few Scaly-breasted Lorikeet in Iluka, on the North side of the Clarence River downs, NSW, in 2004. Later Scaly-breasted Lorikeets were also spotted by us in the Manning River estuary and in many other locations along the NSW coast, e.g. littoral rainforest at Manning Point. Since then we have found Scaly-breasted Lorikeets in many different locations along the Australian East coast, in both NSW and QLD, and in the Great Dividing Range. Various contributors also report sightings from the eastern Australian seaboard. Although common in Moree, NSW, they are not common where we live (Narrabri, NSW), just 100 km farther South. A pair of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets was first seen by us in Narrabri in November 2013. Next, a flock of 20 was found in Narrabri in February 2018. A pair of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets was first spotted by us in Wee Waa, about 40 km West of Narrabri, in January 2015. A pair was found in our rural garden in Eulah Creek, near Narrabri, NSW, in February 2020.

Photos

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ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (photo courtesy M. Eaton)
[Lake Broadwater, near Dalby, QLD, January 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet on a coastal banksia
[Near Old Bar, NSW, June 2011]

The Scaly-breasted Lorikeet looked a bit possessive about this particular banksia flower
[Near Old Bar, NSW, June 2011]

Here a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet seen in the typical head-down feeding position
[Near Old Bar, NSW, June 2011]

Clear view of the underside of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
[Near Old Bar, NSW, June 2011]

Close-up lateral view of two Scaly-breasted Lorikeets (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, October 2014]

Lateral view of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet in a shrub (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)

Dorsal view of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
[Mt. Archer NP, QLD, July 2009]

Small flock of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets in flight
[Near Old Bar, NSW, June 2011]

Direct comparison of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet with a Rainbow Lorikeet (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, October 2014]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet feeding a juvenile (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Atherton Tablelands, QLD, October 2022]

Hybrid with Musk Lorikeet

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In June 2011 a hybrid lorikeet was reported at Chain Valley Bay South, a bay of Lake Macquarie on the NSW Central Coast. We subsequently spotted a second hybrid, most likely between a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet and a Musk Lorikeet.

Hybrid lorikeet feeding; one can see clearly the orange scaling typical of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet and the red forehead of a Musk Lorikeet
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]

Different perspective
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]

Possible hybrid with Rainbow Lorikeet

A possible hybrid between a Rainbow Lorikeet and a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet was spotted by us in the township of Narrabri in September 2015. If not a hybrid, the bird could just be a colour morph, or an aviary escapee (bred variety).

Possible hybrid between a Rainbow Lorikeet and a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet; note the bluish cap and strong scaling on the breast resembling a Rainbow Lorikeet, while the rest of the bird's appearance is that of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (in particular the absence of a yellowish-green nape of the neck)
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, September 2015]

Breeding information

Breeding season: July - Nov

Eggs: 1 - 3

Incubation period: 23 - 25 days

Fledging age: ca. 42 days

The breeding season depends significantly on geographical latitude. The period listed in the table above applies to birds on the eastern seaboard of Australia. In the tropical North Scaly-breasted Lorikeets breed mainly in the timeframe May-February. Scaly-breasted Lorikeets can have 2 broods per season.

Nest building: ?

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Female & male

Usually in the selection of the nest hollow the male "suggests" a location and the female, who will actually sit on the nest, has the final say.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree hollow

Material: Wood dust

Height above ground: 5 - 30 m

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet at the opening to its nest hollow, with an expectant near-fledging age nestling waiting to be fed (photo courtesy M. Eaton)
[Lake Broadwater, near Dalby, QLD, January 2018]

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet feeding its near-fledging age nestling (photo courtesy M. Eaton)
[Lake Broadwater, near Dalby, QLD, January 2018]

Pair of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets at the entrance to their nest hollow (photo courtesy of E. Scott)
[Roseberry Creek Valley, near Toonumbar NP, northern NSW, September 2017]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 26 x 20 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Flock

Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are gregarious, often noisy birds.

Scaly-breasted Lorikeets are known to like hanging head-down, not only when feeding (as shown above).

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet checking out its surroundings, hanging from a branch...
[Mt. Archer NP, QLD, July 2009]

...now check the other side; the bird hung there like this for minutes on end
[Mt. Archer NP, QLD, July 2009]

Food, Diet

Scaly-breasted Lorikeets feed on fruit, nectar and seeds.

Close-up view of a Scaly-breasted Lorikeet feeding on the nectar of a banksia flower
[Manning Point, NSW, July 2013]

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet feeding on the nectar of a Callistemon shrub (photo courtesy M. Eaton)
[Lake Broadwater, near Dalby, QLD, January 2018]

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet having a drink of water from an ornamental pond
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2020]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

scbrlor_20150818.m4a	(NE NSW)	Contact calls? (in-flight)	© MD
scbrlor_20150205_2.mp3	(NW NSW)	Pair Q&As (feeding)	© MD
scbrlor_20150205_3.mp3	(NW NSW)	Pair Q&As (feeding)	© MD
scbrlor_20140525.mp3	(NE NSW)	Going to roost (large flock)	© MD
scbrlor_20140526.mp3	(NE NSW)	Pre-dawn chatter	© MD

More Scaly-breasted Lorikeet sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Fri, 11 November 2022, 4:45 +00:00