What do Musk Lorikeets look like?
Musk Lorikeets are beautiful birds. They are mainly green with yellow patches on their sides, red above their beaks and behind their eyes, and a blue crown.
Where are Musk Lorikeets found?
Musk Lorikeets live in south-eastern Australia, from east New South Wales, spanning all of Victoria and south-east South Australia. They also live in drier areas of Tasmania.
Musk Lorikeets are a common sight in suburbs and urban areas, and they are nomadic and willing to travel quite a distance to get to that perfect flowering tree.
Fast facts:
- Musk Lorikeets have a special brush-tipped tongue which helps them to collect the sweet nectar and pollen from native flowers.
- Musk Lorikeets colouring acts as camouflage, blending in amongst the leaves and bright coloured flowers of natives.
Musk Lorikeet
Musk Lorikeets live in south-eastern Australia, from east New South Wales, spanning all of Victoria and south-east South Australia. They also live in drier areas of Tasmania.
Musk Lorikeets are a common sight in suburbs and urban areas, and they are nomadic and willing to travel quite a distance to get to that perfect flowering tree.
They have a distinctive shrill and rolling call. Their colouring acts as camouflage, blending in amongst the leaves and bright colored flowers of natives.
If you hear some soft chattering and a green flash in amongst the blossoms of a Eucalyptus tree, stop and take a closer look. It could be the Musk Lorikeet come to visit.
In the south-east of Australia, Musk Lorikeets travel to wherever eucalyptus trees are in bloom. These birds have a special brush-tipped tongue which helps them to collect the sweet nectar and pollen from native flowers. They are largely nomadic birds, so you never quite know when Musk Lorikeets will turn up —but seeing native trees in full bloom is a pretty good sign.
Musk Lorikeets are beautiful birds. They are mainly green with yellow patches on their sides, red above their beaks and behind their eyes, and a blue crown.
Help look after Musk Lorikeets
You can encourage Musk Lorikeets into your garden by growing local native plants. Flowering plants that produce lots of nectar, like Eucalypts, Banksias and Bottlebrushes (also known as Callistemons) are all good choices.
Putting a bird bath in your backyard is also a good idea, because lorikeets love to splash around and clean the sticky nectar from their feathers. Make sure it’s up high to help your bird buddies feel safe.
Avoid cutting down Eucalypts and mature trees with hollows. One of the great joys of having trees around is being able to watch and listen to Musk Lorikeets and other native birds as they eat, nest and play.
Simple things that you do can make a huge difference to Australia’s animals. That’s why the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife is running Backyard Buddies— to give you tips to help.
What is a backyard buddy?
Backyard buddies are the native animals that share our built up areas, our beaches and waterways, our backyards and our parks. The Musk Lorikeet is a backyard buddy.
Backyard buddies are also the local people who value the living things around them, like the Musk Lorikeet, and are willing to protect and encourage them by doing a few simple things around their own homes.
So you can be a backyard buddy.
Be a backyard buddy
It’s easy. All you have to do is care… and take a few simple steps.
Step one is to find out what Musk Lorikeets do and do not like.
Musk Lorikeets love:
Sweet things – as they feed on nectar, pollen, fruits and also seeds, often in blossoming trees.
Feathered friends – Musk Lorikeets form pairs and often feed and travel in mixed flocks. They are quite unafraid of people too when they’re feeding.
Pears – Musk Lorikeets love to eat pears growing on the tree.
But they don’t like:
Too much rain – while they need water, Musk Lorikeets prefer to live in mainly dry areas.
Deserts – as Musk Lorikeets need plenty of flowering trees to feed from and nest in, so you won’t find them in arid areas of Australia.
Be a buddy to the Musk Lorikeet
Try to:
- stop, listen and look if you hear some birds chattering. You might just spot the green Musk Lorikeet blending in with the leaves of a nearby tree.
- have keen eyes. Musk Lorikeets are a quick bird in flight, and you’ll need to be on your toes to keep up with a flock flying overhead.
- provide fresh, clean water in your garden for Musk Lorikeets to drink from and bathe in.
- plant eucalyptus trees that produce lots of flowers for lorikeets to feed from.
- install a nest box or two for birds in your backyard.
Avoid:
- Feeding them your scraps. Musk Lorikeets are very capable of finding their own food and have no problems finding a blossom or twelve to feed from.
- removing eucalyptus or gum trees as they provide nectar and nest sites for Musk Lorikeets.
Don’t be surprised if:
- you don’t see Musk Lorikeets very often.
- you see many Musk Lorikeets feeding all together in a big eucalyptus tree in flower.
- Musk Lorikeets chatter constantly while feeding, and even while flying.
- Musk Lorikeets let you get very close while they are feeding.
