Purple-crowned Lorikeets

The Purple-crowned Lorikeets (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala) are distributed from eastern Victoria to the south of Western Australia. They are found in lightly wooded habitat such as mallee scrub as well as eucalypt woodland and coastal scrub.

This species is nomadic, with the pattern of distribution varying from year to year according to flowering conditions. They primarily feed on nectar and pollen of flowering Eucalypts, but may also raid orchards to feed on ripe fruit.

Description

The Purple-crowned Lorikeet is a very small lorikeet, approx. 16 cm in length, with a purple crown, apricot orange forehead and ear-coverts and a black bill. Upper parts are bright green, with a wash of bronze across the nape and mantle, while underparts are greenish-yellow with a pale blue belly. There is a small patch of bright blue at the bend of wing, with underwing coverts bright red, and obvious in flight.

They are more often heard than seen, calling often in flight. The call is a high-pitched slightly metallic ‘tziet, tziet'.

In captivity, these lories are usually not shy. This lory has a tendency to obesity especially when kept in a small cage.

This lory enjoys bathing and being sprayed and its mainly "sticky" diet increases the importance for this parrot to be able to wash any sugary liquids off its plumage..

Click here for information on the benefits of bathing and recommendations.

A colony system with other small birds possible. Large aviaries can also be planted as chewing requirement not very great. In Aviculture, this active lory was found to be very susceptible; often dying without discernible cause. Very strict hygiene necessary; minimum temperature during acclimatisation not less than 75°F (24°C).

Lories as Pets or in Aviculture:

Lories are typically quite easily bred, so many lory species are readily available. Their expected lifespan is 28+ years, provided their specific dietary needs are met. They reach maturity at 8 months or later. Males and females look alike and breeders depend on DNA or endoscopic sexing to determine their gender.

Positive aspects of lory ownership ...

Lories are popular companion birds due to their intelligence, entertaining personality and stunning beauty. Most stay tame, even in maturity.

They are affectionate, curious, extroverted and clowny and exhibit some unique behaviors. Some like to wrap themselves up in a blanket for sleeping. At times, they can even be seen sleeping on their backs.

They are known for their playfulness. In their eyes, everything is a toy. They love toys that make noise, such as bells. They enjoy hanging on ropes and are quite "mechanical." They like "toys" that can be taken apart -- and they are GOOD at it! Lories are very active and require large cages (preferably flights) and lots of supervised out-of-cage time.

What makes them challenging to own ...

They are capable of aggressive behavior if their territory and possessions are not respected. Housing two lories together can result in injury, unless they are a bonded pair.

They are demanding in care requirements (especially diet preparations) and require a lot of attention. Daily baths or showers should be part of their grooming regimen.

Due to their diet which consists for the most part of fruits and nectar, their droppings are very runny and messy. Special adaptations around the cage are recommended. Carpet underneath a cage will be the poorest choice of all. Everything in the vicinity of the cage should be easy to clean. This being said, lories are very trainable and, with a little patience and know-how, can be taught to eliminate in a certain area on cue. This webpage will provide you with instructions.

Their voice ranges from loud, piercing whistles and metallic "pings" to soft, high-pitched warbles and chattering.

Caring for your Lory:

Diet:

The bulk of their natural diet consist of nectar, flowers, fruits, pollen and seeds.

Part of their captive diet should be a good-quality commercial or home-made nectar. Please note that liquid nectar will need to be replaced several times daily - in fact, in warm weather it needs to be changed every 4 hours. The main causes of premature death in lories are infections caused by spoiled nectar and/or a poorly balanced, one-sided diet that doesn't meet the special nutritional requirements needed for good health. Excellent commercial formulas are available on this website.

Lories also love honey, pollen and fruits, such as apples, pomegranates, papaya, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple, figs, kiwi, as well as greenfood and some vegetables, including corn-on-the-cob. Another healthful addition to their diet are flowers, including pansies, nasturtiums, roses, hibiscus, marigolds, and dandelions. All fruits, veggies and flowers should be pesticide free. Organic is always best. (For non-toxic ways to control pests in the house or garden, please visit this webpage.)

During the breeding season, rusk or biscuit softened in milk are eagerly accepted by the parents for feeding the chicks.
Other food items include brewer's yeast, oat flakes, multi-grain flakes and small quantities of millet spray; oats, canary grass seed; some sunflower (sprouted). If a balanced nutrition can't be met, vitamin and mineral supplements may need to be provided.

Housing:

These lories are medium-noisy parrots whose shrill calls may annoy nearby neighbors.

Aviaries:

Spacious, long flights are preferred, with plenty of natural (non-toxic) vegetation. Breeding pairs need to be kept singly or at least during the breeding season, breeding pairs need to be kept in separate flights. Colony keeping is possible outside the breeding season. They need to be protected from low temperatures and draughts - even after acclimatization. A roosting box should be available at all times (including outside the breeding season).

Cages:

Lories are very active birds and require large cages. The minimum cage size for a single lory should be 36" H x 48" L x 24" W or to accommodate a pair the cage dimensions needs to be, at a minimum, 36" H x 60" L x 36" W. You have to remember that you need room for the many toys that lories so cherish, perches, food / water dishes, maybe a "birdy tent" -- as well as providing sufficient space for them to move around, exercise their wings. etc.

Care should be taken in cage design and placement since the birds have a tendency to squirt their waste matter, which is fairly liquid, behind them with some force. It is not recommended to place the cage behind a delicately decorated wall and on unprotected carpet. Easy-care flooring is recommended, as well as a washable wall. An acrylic panel custom-cut and placed over the wall would be a great way to protect it. The acrylic panel can easily be taken outside and hosed down. There are acrylic cages available, but lories love to climb and scramble about, so a standard, high quality powder coated cage is a better choice - as large as the space you have will allow.

In an outdoor aviary they are the easiest birds to maintain, as all of their waste can simply be hosed away, no seed hulls to sweep up or sticky, green and white droppings running down the side of the cage to scrub off. Lory droppings are mostly clear or beige. A word of caution about placing lories in mixed-species aviaries. Some lories can be very aggressive toward other birds, while others will mingle just fine. The worst is probably the Chattering Lory. They seem to take great pleasure in doing in other birds in their territory.

Training and Behavioral Guidance:

Lories are known for their intelligence, and they are more than happy to entertain you with the tricks that have learned. They are capable of aggressive behavior if their territory and possessions are not respected and nippiness can occur if this behavior is not managed.

Consistent training and behavioral guidance is recommended so that you can enjoy a bird free of destructive and annoying habits. Behavioral challenges that lories and lorikeets present include:

Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Heavy chewing is not a huge problem with lories per se. Most of them never really develop any major destructive issues in that area. However, it is recommended that the owner provide their lory with plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach a lory what items are "off-limits."

Biting: Lories, as is the case with most parrots, are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. If this behavior is unchecked, the lory is likely to be dominating the entire family, chasing and attacking their least favorite humans. Training is vital to stop this destructive behavior.

Screaming: Their voice ranges from loud, piercing whistles and metallic "pings" to soft, high-pitched warbles and chattering. Many of them turn into excellent talkers; some having whole sentences in their vocabulary. With a little training they can be taught to communicate with words rather than using their shrill calls for the most part. However, their natural call / voice cannot be entirely eliminated; but their occurrence can be reduced. The owner has to understand that even with training, the lory voice can get quite loud, with a high pitched screech.

Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...

AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.

If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
  - Stop Biting
  - Perform Tricks &
  - Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.

If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets, please visit the following websites for information:

Procuring your Parrot
- Bird Breeders

The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy

Housing Your Bird

Bird Nutrition

Parrot Products

Feeding & Housing Your Lory

Taxonomy:

Family: Loriidae ... Scientific: Glossopsitta porphyrocephala

Species: Purple-crowned Lorikeet ... German: Blauscheitellori ... Spanish: Lori Coronipúrpura ... French: Lori à couronne pourpre ... Italian: Lorichetto corona viola ... Japanese: murasakigashirajakouinko / ムラサキガシラジャコウインコ ... CITES II:- Endangered Species

.Distribution: South-western & South-eastern Australia, exluding Tasmania

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