biology

Goldie's lorikeet

Goldie's lorikeet is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Goldie's lorikeet rather than just read about it. In short: Goldie's lorikeet (Glossoptilus goldiei) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Glossoptilus.

Key takeaways

Goldie's lorikeet belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Goldie's lorikeet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Goldie's lorikeet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Goldie's lorikeet (Glossoptilus goldiei) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Glossoptilus. It is found in forest and woodland in New Guinea, primarily at altitudes of 1,000–2,200 m (3,280–7,220 ft). It is mostly green with yellowish streaks in the chest area, and a red, blue and purple head. It is a small bird measuring 19 cm (7+1⁄2 in) in length and weighing 45–60 grams (1.6–2.1 oz).

Taxonomy Goldie's lorikeet was formally described in 1882 by the English ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe from a specimen collected in New Guinea by Andrew Goldie (1840–1891). Sharpe coined the binomial name Trichoglossus goldiei. Goldie's lorikeet was formerly placed in the genus Psitteuteles but was moved to its own genus Glossoptilus following the publication in 2020 of a phylogenetic study of the lorikeets. The genus Glossoptilus had been introduced in 1896 by Walter Rothschild and Ernst Hartert.

Description Goldie's lorikeet is 19 cm (7.5 in) long. It is mainly green, and its underside is yellow-green with dark green longitudinal streaks. It has a red plumage on the crown, which is less extensive in the female. The back of its head is blue, its cheeks are mainly mauve and blue, its beak is black, and its irises are brown. Its legs are greenish-brown. In juveniles the red on the head is reduced to a small red patch above its beak. Juveniles have a brown beak, a green crown, and greyish-blue plumage on the back of the head.

Range Goldie's lorikeet is native to the highlands of New Guinea.

Aviculture Goldie's lorikeet is well regarded as a pet. They are quiet, non-destructive, non-aggressive, and can be kept as a single pair or in larger communities. Some lorikeets have learned to mimic human voices.

References

Cited texts

Forshaw, Joseph M. (2006). Parrots of the World; an Identification Guide. Illustrated by Frank Knight. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-09251-6.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Goldie's lorikeet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Goldie's lorikeet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Goldie's lorikeet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Goldie's lorikeet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Goldie's lorikeet

In research: Goldie's lorikeet appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Goldie's lorikeet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Goldie's lorikeet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Birds described in 1882, Birds of the New Guinea Highlands, IUCN Red List least concern species, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Goldie's lorikeet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Goldie's lorikeet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Goldie's lorikeet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Goldie's lorikeet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Goldie's lorikeet in simple terms?

Goldie's lorikeet (Glossoptilus goldiei) is a species of parrot in the family Psittaculidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Glossoptilus.

Why does Goldie's lorikeet matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Goldie's lorikeet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Goldie's lorikeet.