Little Lorikeet Parvipsitta pusilla Scientific name definitions

15 cm; 34–53 g. Generally green  , more yellowish below; black bill; front of head around bill, from forehead  through eye to chin  , red  ; pale green streaking on ear-­coverts  ; light bronze tinge to nape  and mantle  ; tail below  red basally, shading to yellow with grey tips. Immature has duller red face.

E & SE Australia; irregular in South Australia except in extreme SE, and vagrant in Tasmania.

Nomadic, following flowering events  in different areas.

Pollen, nectar  , blossoms of <em>Eucalyptus</em> (in winter E. sideroxylon and E. leucoxylon), Melaleuca and Xanthorrhoea trees, flowers and juice of mistletoe Amyema cambagei and A. gaudichaudi, berries of Loranthus and fruit of Eriobotrya japonica; birds visit orchards but are not serious pests.

Commonest call a high-pitched lisping “tslit!”, significantly higher-pitched than that of G. concinna. When perched, repertoire slightly more extensive with several similar-sounding notes covering a wider frequency range, often given as a continuous twittering.

Jun–Jan, as early as May in N. Nest in hollow limb or hole in tree , usually a living eucalypt near water, 7–12 m up. Eggs  3–5; in captivity, incubation lasts 22 days, nestling period c. 6 weeks.