Fairy Lorikeet
Charmosynopsis pulchella
The Fairy Lorikeet (Charmosynopsis pulchella) is a legendary old world parrot found in 2 countries. The fairy lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae.
About the Fairy Lorikeet
The fairy lorikeet is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. Other common names include the little red lorikeet and the little red lory. Found in New Guinea, its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Its colouration is mainly red with some yellow on the throat and green on the wings. Two subspecies are recognised, C. p. pulchella and C. p. rothschildi.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The fairy lorikeet grows to a length of about 18 cm (7 in) and weighs between 24 and 34 g (0.8 and 1.2 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies, C. p. pulchella, has the head, nape, breast and underparts red, the breast sometimes being streaked with yellow. The back of the crown has a purplish spot. The mantle, back and wings are dark green, as are the upper tail coverts. The upper side of the tail is green tipped with yellow and the central tail feathers are red towards their tips. The underside of the tail is yellow and the thighs are dark purple.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: June, July, August, September, October, November, with peak activity in August. It is a winter visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Fairy Lorikeet?
- The fairy lorikeet grows to a length of about 18 cm (7 in) and weighs between 24 and 34 g (0.8 and 1.2 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- Where can you see a Fairy Lorikeet?
- The Fairy Lorikeet occurs in 2 countries, including Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
- What birds look similar to a Fairy Lorikeet?
- The Fairy Lorikeet is most easily confused with the Orange-fronted Hanging Parrot, the Finsch's Pygmy Parrot and the Seychelles Black Parrot.
- Is the Fairy Lorikeet endangered?
- The Fairy Lorikeet is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Fairy Lorikeet for real
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