Orange-billed lorikeet

Orange-billed lorikeet
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Psittaciformes
Family:	Psittaculidae
Genus:	Neopsittacus
Species:	N. pullicauda
Binomial name
Neopsittacus pullicauda Hartert, 1896
Synonyms[2]
Neopsittacus muschenbrocki alpinus Ogilvie-Grant, 1914 Neopsittacus pullicauda socialis Mayr, 1931

The orange-billed lorikeet (Neopsittacus pullicauda) is a species in the Old World parrot family Psittaculidae. First described by the German ornithologist Ernst Hartert in 1896, it is endemic to New Guinea, where it mainly inhabits cloud forest, forest edges, and cleared areas bordering forests at elevations of 2,100–3,800 m (6,900–12,500 ft). Adults are 18 cm (7.1 in) long on average and weigh 25–40 g (0.88–1.41 oz), and are mainly green in color, with a red underside and narrow yellow streaking on the cheeks. It looks similar to the closely related yellow-billed lorikeet, but is smaller in size, has more richly coloured plumage, and has a smaller, orange bill.

The species feeds on pollen, nectar, flowers, fruits, and, uncommonly, seeds. They sometimes forage together with yellow-billed lorikeets at fruiting trees, but are rarely found with species of other genera. Breeding takes place in October; nests are made in holes in tall trees and contain two eggs. It is listed as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List due to its large range and lack of severe declines in its population.