The Little Lorikeet is a species of parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

 in the Psittacidae family. It is endemic to Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. It is a small parrot, predominantly green in plumage with a red face. Its natural habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

s are subtropical or tropical dry forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Taxonomy

The Little Lorikeet was first described by ornithologist George Shaw

George Shaw

George Shaw was an English botanist and zoologist.Shaw was born at Bierton, Buckinghamshire and was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, receiving his M.A. in 1772. He took up the profession of medical practitioner. In 1786 he became the assistant lecturer in botany at Oxford University...

 in 1790 as Psittacus pusillus. Its specific epithet is the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 pusilla "small". Other common names include Tiny Lorikeet, Red-faced Lorikeet, Gizzie, Slit, and formerly a local indigenous term Jerryang.

Description

Measuring 15 cm (6 in) in length, the male and female are similarly coloured, although the latter is a little duller. The crown, lores and throat are red, the nape and shoulder bronze-coloured and the remainder of the plumage green. The underparts yellow-tinged. The bill is black and the iris golden in colour.

Distribution and habitat

The Little Lorikeet is found in eastern and southern Australia, from the vicinity of Cairns

Cairns, Queensland

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...

 southwards through Queensland and New South Wales from the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range

Great Dividing Range

The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...

 eastwards to the coast, though most of Victoria and southeastern South Australia. It also occurs in Tasmania although is uncommon there. They are found in forest, especially in the vicinity of flowering or fruit-bearing vegetation.

Feeding

Fruit and flowers form the bulk of their diet, including native grasstrees (Xanthorrhoea

Xanthorrhoea

Xanthorrhoea is a genus of flowering plants native to Australia and a member of family Xanthorrhoeaceae, being the only member of subfamily Xanthorrhoeoideae. The Xanthorrhoeaceae are monocots, part of order Asparagales. There are 28 species and five subspecies of Xanthorrhoea.-Description:All are...

spp.), and tea-tree (Melaleuca

Melaleuca

Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...

spp.), Loranthus

Loranthus

Loranthus is a genus of mostly parasitic plants that grow on the branches of woody trees. It belongs to the family Loranthaceae, the showy mistletoe family...

, and the introduced loquat (Eriobotrya japonica

Loquat

The loquat , Eriobotrya japonica, is a fruit tree in the family Rosaceae, indigenous to southeastern China. It was formerly thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus, and is still sometimes known as the Japanese medlar...

). They will occasionally visit orchards.

Breeding

Breeding season is from May in the north, or August in the south, to December. The nest is a hollow in a tree and a clutch of 3-5 matte white roundish egg

Egg (biology)

An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...

s, measuring 20 x 16 mm, is laid. The incubation period is around three weeks.

Aviculture

Although first exported to Europe in 1877, the Little Lorikeet is only very rarely seen outside Australia. Even in its native country, it is uncommon in captivity. It has a reputation of being difficult to keep.

Cited texts