The musk lorikeet was first described by ornithologist George Shaw in 1790 as Psittacus concinnus, from a collection in the vicinity of Port Jackson in what is now Sydney.

[3] Other common names include red-eared lorikeet, and green keet,[4] and formerly a local Sydney indigenous term coolich.

[6] They are an uncommon nomad in woodlands and drier forests in south-east mainland, mainly west of Great Dividing Range, and in Tasmania.

Musk lorikeets have been sighted and are recent common visitors to fruit trees in the Punchbowl Area, near Launceston, Northern Tasmania.

They have evolved to consume nectar as a part of their major food source and can be found foraging in the blooming canopies of eucalyptus forests.

[9] Unlike their natural habitat, the city plants are regularly maintained and so they have become a more reliable food source.