Varied Lorikeet

1. Brilliant red cap with blue-green face and tufted yellow ear-coverts

2. Mauve to purple-pink upper breast with yellow streaks, blending to pale green underparts

3. Small size and white eye-ring, with a swift, direct flight and high-pitched screeching calls

Varied Lorikeets are highly nomadic blossom nomads, following the flowering patterns of northern Australian trees. Their brush-tipped tongues are specialized for harvesting nectar and pollen from eucalypts, paperbarks, grevilleas, and other flowering plants. Breeding occurs mainly from April to August, but may happen year-round depending on food availability. Pairs nest in unlined hollows of horizontal limbs, laying 2–4 eggs per clutch. Their flight is swift and direct, and their contact call is a constant shrill screech, often making flocks more easily heard than seen`.`

Varied Lorikeets are found across northern Australia, from Broome in Western Australia, through the Northern Territory, to the western side of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. They inhabit tropical eucalypt forests, woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands, especially where bloodwoods and other nectar-producing eucalypts dominate. Their presence is closely tied to flowering events, and they are often seen feeding high in the canopy, sometimes in small flocks with other nectar-feeding birds like Red-collared Lorikeets.