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  1. Species
  2. ›
  3. Psittaculidae
  4. ›
  5. Parvipsitta
  6. ›
  7. Purple-crowned Lorikeet
Purple-crowned Lorikeet
Photo · (c) Thomas Mesaglio, some rights reserved (CC BY)

BirdUp · Species

Purple-crowned Lorikeet

Parvipsitta porphyrocephala(Dietrichsen, 1837)

Updated 21 March 2026

Origin: Endemic
Order
PSITTACIFORMES
Family
Psittaculidae
Genus
Parvipsitta

At a glance

The Purple-crowned Lorikeet is a small bird, about 17–19 cm long, endemic to Australia. It can be seen year-round.

Size
17–19 cm
Origin
Endemic
Best seen
Year-round
Commonness
Endemic
  • Identification
  • Where
  • When
  • Behaviour
  • Gallery

01 · Identification

How to tell it apart

What does a Purple-crowned Lorikeet look like?

The Purple-crowned Lorikeet is a small bird, about 17–19 cm long and weighing 39–50 g.

The purple-crowned lorikeet, is a lorikeet found in scrub and mallee of southern Australia. It is a small lorikeet distinguished by a purple crown, an orange forehead and ear-coverts, and a light blue chin and chest.

Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Field specs

Length
17–19 cm
Weight
39–50 g
Wingspan
30 cm

Measurements · avonet · CC BY 4.0

03 · When

When to look

When can you see a Purple-crowned Lorikeet?

The Purple-crowned Lorikeet is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.

  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

05 · Behaviour

Habits and haunts

What does a Purple-crowned Lorikeet eat?

The Purple-crowned Lorikeet feeds on nectar/pollen, usually foraging in flocks.

06 · Gallery

Plumage up close

6 photos

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02 · Where

Where to find it

Where does the Purple-crowned Lorikeet live in Australia?

The Purple-crowned Lorikeet is endemic to Australia, recorded across 32 of Australia’s bioregions.

BreedingSouth-west WA to central VIC (south Australia)

Distribution from BirdUp Australia community data

Legend

  • Resident
  • Non-breeding
  • Vagrant

7 regions recorded