Musschenbroek’s Lorikeet
Also known as:
Yellow-billed Lorikeet, Yellow-billed Mountain Lory, Alpine Lorikeet
Also known as:
Yellow-billed Lorikeet, Yellow-billed Mountain Lory, Alpine Lorikeet
DID YOU KNOW?
The Musschenbroek’s or Yellow-billed Lorikeet is often observed to run “rodent-like” along branches, keeping its head down as it does so.
Size:
23 cm (9 in)
Weight:
43-55 g (1.5-1.9 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
three: N.m. musschenbroekii, N.m. medius, N.m. major
Colour Adult:
N.m. musschenbroekii: Both adults in general green; olive/brown crown and nape, streaked with dull yellow; olive/brown hindneck and cheeks, the cheeks streaked pale green; red throat to centre of abdomen; red underwing coverts and underwing band; green uppertail tipped with yellow, orange/yellow undertail with red at base of lateral feathers. Beak pale yellow. Eye red.
N.m. medius: Both adults as in musschenbroekii, but larger; more yellow streaking on cheeks.
N.m. major: Both adults as in medius, but plumage generally paler; red underparts; green/yellow streaking on cheeks.
Colour Juvenile:
N.m. musschenbroekii: Duller than adults; green throat and upper breast marked with red; green lower breast. Beak pale brown tipped with yellow. Cere yellow.
N.m. medius: As in adults.
Call:
Calls made when perched are two-syllable screeches, the second note being lower than the first. Also musical three-note calls with downward inflection. Call notes lower-pitched, nasal and hollow sounding.
More Information:
Content Sources:
CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006. 2010 edition
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Bird Care
Captive Status:
Rare in aviculture.
Longevity:
—
Housing:
Aviary ( 2.5 x 1 x 2 m or 8.2 x 3.3 x 6.5 ft) with tiled or concrete floor with drain, or suspended enclosure over same.
Diet:
Nectar, either a commercial type or homemade from lactose-free baby cereal, honey and malt extract or molasses, mixed with filtered water and made fresh once or twice daily, comprising 5 to 10 percent of diet; fruit such as: apple, pear, orange, cactus fruits, pomegranate; vegetables such as: carrot, fresh corn on the cob, unsalted tinned sweet corn; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, dandelion, sowthistle, chickweed; dried figs soaked in water a few hours; spray millet and small amount of soaked or sprouted sunflower seed; small amount of canary seed and/or oats.
Enrichment:
Vigorous chewer so provide bird-safe, unsprayed flowering, fir, willow, elder or pine branches; wooden and vegetable tanned leather toys, heat sterilized pine cones. Also provide overhead misters or shallow bowls of water for bathing.
Nest Box Size:
Vertical box 7″ x 7″ x 24″ (17.8 cm x 17.8 cm x 61 cm).
Clutch Size:
2
Fledging Age:
8 weeks
Hatch Weight:
—
Peak Weight:
—
Weaning Weight:
—
World Population:
Unknown but reported as generally common, increasing.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened. Common. Is considered to have a medium dependency on forest habitat, and tree cover is estimated to have declined by 2.3% within its mapped range over the past three generations. Such habitat degradation forms new areas of suitable habitat and therefore the population is suspected to be increasing.
Range:
N.m. musschenbroekii: Mountains of Vogelkop, West Papua, Indonesia.
N.m. medius: Snow Mountains, Irian Jaya, east to mountains central New Guinea.
N.m. major: Mountains of SE New Guinea, from Owen Stanley Range west to Huon Peninsula and Sepik River region.
Habitat:
Found from 1250-2800 m (4100-9184 ft) in montane forest, forest edge, partly cleared areas and secondary growth forest. Also seen in disturbed areas and in Casuarina or Eucalyptus groves in garden areas.
Wild Diet:
Feeds on pollen, nectar, flowers, small fruits including Schefflera, and berries. Also feeds on small seeds, caterpillars and lerps; also flowers of tall eucalypts and of weeds.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Seen in flowering trees in the company of other species such as Papuan Lorikeets (Charmosyna papou). Will come down low to the ground to feed on annual weeds. Noisy and conspicuous, particularly while flying.
Clutch and Egg Size:
2 eggs
Breeding Season:
September-January. Nest is in tree hollow.
Related Links:
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