From Opus

Photo by Mat & Cathy
Chiltern, Victoria, Australia, June 2005

Lathamus discolor

[edit] Identification

25 cm

• Bright green
• Red around the bill, throat and forehead
• Red throat, edged with yellow
• Bluish-purple crown
• Bright red patches under the wings
• Long (12 cm), thin, dark red tail

[edit] Distribution

Breeds in Tasmania, winters in south-east mainland Australia.

Endangered, may now count less than 2500 birds total, and populations estimates falling.

[edit] Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].

[edit] Habitat

Eucalypt forests. Nests are usually located near the coast in dry forests on upper slopes and ridge tops

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

The diet includes seeds and grains, green vegetation, fruit, nectar and pollen, insects and larvae.

[edit] Breeding

They make their nests inside a hollow tree branch or trunk in very old or dead trees. The clutch consists of 3-5 round white eggs.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2010. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2010. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/Clements%206.5.xls/view
2. threatenedspecies.environment.nsw

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID