Fun Musk Lorikeet Facts For Kids
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The gregarious species of birds charming their pet owners are the lorikeets. The parrots, or specifically lorikeets, are brightly colored birds and social animals who love cuddling and tricks.
They are one of the cutest and adorable birds in the world of pet parrots. One of them is a musk lorikeet, Glossopsitta concinna.
Surprisingly, it is the only bird belonging to the genus Glossopsitta. While it is closely related to the purple-crowned lorikeets (Parvipsitta porphyrocephala), little lorikeets (Parvipsitta pusilla), and scaly-breasted lorikeets (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus), the tail is longer than the purple-crowned lorikeets and little lorikeets, and the medium-sized bird is smaller than scaly-breasted lorikeets.
The musk lorikeet inhabits trees of the eucalyptus and dry forest of southeastern Australia. It is found in east New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, Tasmania, Sydney, and in states of South Australia, and eastern Australia.
It is also called green keet, musk lory, red-crowned lorikeet, Tasmania musk, red-eared lorikeet, or king parrot. The Glossopsitta concinna has a bright green plumage with yellow patches on its sides.
It has a red forehead above its brown bill, blue crown, and red patches near its beak, and around the cheeks. The yellow band on either side of the wing and the golden tail revealed in flight are distinctive characteristics of the musk lorikeets.
Furthermore, they have brush-tipped tongues primarily feeding on nectar and pollen of the flowering eucalypts in and near their habitat.
Musk lorikeets are active and noisy. They are found feeding and living in mixed flocks of parrots on trees.
If the uniqueness of the musk lorikeet makes you interested to read more about similar species, you can read about cockatoo and hummingbird.
Musk Lorikeet Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a musk lorikeet?
The musk lorikeet, Glossopsitta concinna, is the only bird belonging to the genus Glossopsitta. It inhabits South Australia and eastern Australia. The purple-crowned lorikeets, little lorikeets, and scaly-breasted lorikeets are similar to the musk lorikeets but inherit distinctive features in their size, plumage, and location. The birds are found in mixed flocks around the eucalypt trees of southeast Australia.
What class of animal does a musk lorikeet belong to?
The musk lorikeets belong to the class Aves, order Psittaciformes, and family Psittacidae. It is also called green keet, musk lory, red-crowned lorikeet, Tasmania musk, red-eared lorikeet, or king parrot.
How many musk lorikeets are there in the world?
Though the musk lorikeets are often spotted on the trees of eucalypts in southeast Australia including New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, Tasmania, and Sydney, the estimated population is not quantified so far. Also, the musk lorikeets are listed Least Concern under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Where does a musk lorikeet live?
The musk lorikeet range map highlights states in southeastern Australia including New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, Tasmania, Sydney, and other southeast Australian countries. Mainly, it resides, breeds, and feeds upon the flowering eucalypt trees.
What is a musk lorikeet's habitat?
The lorikeet (musk, Glossopsitta concinna) inhabits eucalyptus forest or near dry forests. It is also found on trees in suburban areas like public parks and streets. The birds do not breed around their feeding sites. Also, the musk lorikeets are speculated to follow flowering eucalypts to fulfill their feeding habits as they feed upon the nectar, seed, and pollen.
Who do musk lorikeets live with?
The musk lorikeets live in large flocks of more than a hundred birds. The flocks comprise mixed species of parrots and are often sighted near flowering eucalypts. They also socialize with similar species such as swift parrot. Furthermore, the male and female pairs bond strongly as are recorded feeding and breeding together.
How long does a musk lorikeet live?
The species feeding on the nectar, seed, and pollen of flowering eucalypts are hardy birds having a considerable lifespan. The musk lorikeets live up to 15-25 years. Moreover, the birds are speculated to live more than their average lifespan if taken care of their feeding habits and prevent threats like predators.
How do they reproduce?
The musk lorikeet breeds in hollow branches or trunks of the tree planted near the water. The female bird lays two eggs on the decayed wood of the tree. The musk lorikeets incubate and breed at night.
The breeding season is from August to January. The nest of the parrots is speculated to be built in the cavities of the tree. The young birds fledge over a period of five to six weeks.
What is their conservation status?
The musk lorikeets or the Glossopsitta concinna are listed as Least Concern under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The musk lorikeets are also speculated to be coping up well with the plasticity caused due to rapid urbanization.
They are hardy creatures having a long and healthy lifespan. The birds are speculated to have a healthy population with no major threats.
Musk Lorikeet Fun Facts
What do musk lorikeets look like?
The musk lorikeet appearance is similar to little lorikeet and scaly-breasted lorikeet. The musk lorikeets have green plumage with yellow patches on either side of the body.
With a blue crown, red forehead, and small wedge-shaped tail, they are one of the most bright-colored birds. Another striking characteristic is their brush-tipped tongue that assists feeding on nectar, seed, and pollen of eucalypts. During its flight, the golden tail and brown flight wings are revealed.
The bill of the bird is mostly black with tips of the upper and lower mandibles to be yellow-red in color. The bird also has a distinctive yellow band around its wings.
How cute are they?
The bright green bird with a blue crown and red forehead is one of the most adorable creatures. The noisy musk lorikeets are a pleasure to catch sight of in flight as they reveal their golden tail and brown flight wings. The birds are reported to charm numerous pet owners with their beauty.
How do they communicate?
The musk lorikeets communicate using vocalizations. They are speculated to have the ability to mimic common utterances hilariously. They are somewhat noisy species. The musk lorikeet call is a series of metallic chirps or tweets. It is often shrilling and rolling.
How big is a musk lorikeet?
Musk lorikeets are medium-sized parrots. The bird is as long as 8.7 in (22 cm), almost four times smaller than a hyacinth macaw (blue parrot), the biggest among the parrots with a length ranging up to 39 in (100 cm).
How fast can a musk lorikeet fly?
The exact speed of the musk lorikeet (Glossopsitta concinna) is not computed so far, but the flight of the musk lorikeet can be as high as 40 mi (64 km). On the contrary, a peregrine falcon is reported to be the fastest flying bird with a speed ranging up to 200-242 mph (322-390 kph).
How much does a musk lorikeet weigh?
The musk lorikeets weigh up to 2.4-2.6 oz (70-75 g). On the other hand, a kori bustard is one of the heaviest creatures among its class weighing up to 12-40 lb (5-18 kg)
What are the male and female names of the species?
Often, the females are called hens, and males are known as cocks or roosters.
What would you call a baby musk lorikeet?
The musk lorikeet baby can be called a chick, hatchling, nestling, or fledgling.
What do they eat?
The musk lorikeet diet is similar to the rainbow lorikeets. As both birds feed on nectar, they are considered nectarivorous. It is also an omnivore, as musk lorikeet food also comprises insects. The musk lorikeets primarily feed upon the nectar, seed, and pollens of the eucalypt tree.
Are they dangerous?
No, rather the musk lorikeets have a social and friendly temperament. They are also found living in large flocks comprising several kinds of birds, often parrots.
Would they make a good pet?
Yes, the musk lorikeet as pets is one of the most admirable species. It is speculated to have numerous owners around the globe.
Did you know...
The musk lorikeets were first documented in 1790 by an English zoologist and naturalist, George Shaw, in Sydney.
The musk lorikeets are recorded to have two subspecies - Glossopsitta concinna concinna and Glossopsitta concinna didimus.
How do you attract a musk lorikeet?
Planting flowering plants like eucalypts, bottlebrushes, or banksias attracts the musk lorikeet.
How did the musk lorikeet get its name?
The musk lorikeet name originated from the musky smell it emits.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Alexandrine parakeet facts and Amazon parrot facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable musk lorikeet coloring pages.
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