Red-collared Lorikeet
Trichoglossus rubritorquis
Large lorikeet. Very colorful, with a bright orange breast and neck, blue/black belly and head, and red bill. Very conspicuous, often observed calling loudly while flying overhead or feeding. Varied Lorikeet is much smaller and shorter-tailed; no range overlap with Rainbow Lorikeet, which has a yellow neck and red breast. Found in a wide range of habitats. In the evening and early morning can be seen roosting in very large, noisy flocks.
Identification
The red-collared lorikeet measures around 26 centimetres (10 in) long. The feathers of the head and throat are dark brown with blue shafts. There is an orange-red band on the back of the neck. The chest is orange with red. The base of the hindneck is dark blue. The wings are green. The bill is red. The legs and feet are grey-brown. The sexes are similar in plumage while the juvenile has duller plumage and a dark bill.<p>The red-collared lorikeet is distinguished from the rainbow lorikeet by the latter's green rather than red nape, the lack of a blue mantle and more yellow-green underparts. The two may both occur where their ranges abut east of the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Taxonomy
Nicholas Aylward Vigors and Thomas Horsfield described the red-collared lorikeet in 1827. The species name is derived from the Latin words ruber "red" and torquis "neck".<p>Molecular analysis using mitochondrial cytochrome b showed the red-collared lorikeet is most closely related to a lineage that gave rise to the marigold lorikeet and sunset lorikeet of Indonesia. It is more distantly related to the rainbow lorikeet, the two distinct lineages colonising Australia independently. <p>No subspecies are recognised, and there is no regional variation.<p>"Red-collared lorikeet" has been designated as the official common name for the species by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC). Other common names include orange-naped lorikeet and (incorrectly) blue bonnet.
- Scientific name
- Trichoglossus rubritorquis
- Authority
- Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Trichoglossus
Range and habitat
The red-collared lorikeet is found across northern Australia, from King Sound in Western Australia to the Gulf of Carpentaria. It lives in woodland, open forest and rainforest, and has adapted to urban environments readily, being found in towns and cities. The species is sedentary, though follows food supply, such as banksias in flower in April and May on Groote Eylandt.
- Migration
- Nomadic movement
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Little Lorikeet
Psitteuteles pusillus
Small lorikeet with red face mask (red above and below the beak). Flies overhead at speed making short high pitched, metallic calls. Feeds primarily in canopies, and is nomadic, moving through a wide range of eucalypt forest depending on food availability.
Sooty-faced Finch
Arremon crassirostris
Medium-sized sparrowlike bird; olive overall with contrasting yellow belly, white mustache line, dark gray face, and rufous cap. Range does not overlap with other similar-looking sparrows and brushfinches. Tends to be quite shy. Usually found in pairs or small family groups, often scratching through leaf litter or low in a tangle around a forested stream. Sexes alike.
Crested Spinetail
Cranioleuca subcristata
Distinctive small, bicolored bird, with a mostly pale olive-brown body, short crest, rufous wings, and long spiky rufous tail. Crown has narrow black stripes; bill pinkish and decurved. Very arboreal, actively foraging by hitching up branches and tree trunks, as well as by checking leaves and bromeliads. Often with mixed-species flocks. Common, mainly in foothills and lower montane regions. Usually in humid forest, tall secondary forest, and forest borders. Very vocal, the song an accelerating series of short, high notes.
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