Marigold Lorikeet
Trichoglossus capistratus (Bechstein, 1811)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Marigold Lorikeet at Lion Country Safari, Florida, USA.
derivative work: Snowmanradio (talk) Trichoglossus_haematodus_capistratus_-Lion_Country_Safari-8.jpg: Matthew Hoelscher from Doral, FL, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The marigold lorikeet or Sumba lorikeet (Trichoglossus capistratus) is a species of parrot that is endemic to the Southeast Asian islands of Sumba, Rote, Wetar and Kisar (Indonesia) and Timor (Indonesia and Timor-Leste). It was previously considered a subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet, but following a review in 1997, it is increasingly treated as a separate species.
Overall, the marigold lorikeet resembles a faded rainbow or scarlet-breasted lorikeet, with the blue to the head not as strongly demarcated and the chest ranging from orange-yellow to yellow. In addition to the nominate subspecies from Timor, it includes the subspecies fortis ("Edward's lorikeet") from Sumba and flavotectus ("Wetar lorikeet") from Wetar. It inhabits the edge of primary forest, secondary forest, woodland and plantations at altitudes below 500 m (1,600 ft) on Timor, but at least up to 950 m (3,120 ft) on Sumba. It remains fairly common, but its relatively small distribution could give cause for future concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Marigold lorikeet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:33:05.762660+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Trichoglossus capistratus (Bechstein, 1811)
- Name authority
- (Bechstein, 1811)
- Common name
- Marigold Lorikeet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Trichoglossus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittaculidae
- genusTrichoglossus Stephens, 1826
- speciesTrichoglossus capistratus (Bechstein, 1811)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Trichoglossus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Olive-headed LorikeetTrichoglossus euteles (Temminck, 1835) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pohnpei LorikeetTrichoglossus rubiginosus (Bonaparte, 1850) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-collared LorikeetTrichoglossus rubritorquis Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leaf LorikeetTrichoglossus weberi (Büttikofer, 1894) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Biak LorikeetTrichoglossus rosenbergii Schlegel, 1871 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scaly-breasted LorikeetTrichoglossus chlorolepidotus (Kuhl, 1820) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sunset LorikeetTrichoglossus forsteni Bonaparte, 1850 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rainbow LorikeetTrichoglossus moluccanus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Psittacus capistratus Bechstein, 1811 Bechstein, 1811 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=714027 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:58CJV. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.