Varied Lorikeet

Psitteuteles versicolor

Edward Lear was the first to describe the species, in 1831.

Psitteuteles combines the Latin psitta (parrot) with euteles (plain); versicolor is a combination of vertere (to change) and color (colour), meaning of various colours.

John Gould (artist), Henry Constantine Richter (lithographer), Trichoglossus versicolor (Varied Lorikeet) 1848 (adult male, top; adult female, bottom)

Edward Lear, Trichoglossus versicolor (Variegated Parrakeet) 1831 (adult male)

Author’s note: This illustration is the first published of the species. The forehead and crown of the Varied Lorikeet should be red not blue-black—perhaps Lear’s paint has not aged well.