The tail is green above and yellowish olive below, with the four lateral feathers with red basal markings followed by a black band, tipped yellow on the underside.

Based on similar species, they likely have more red coloration, probably including the face, underside of the primaries and the rump sides; and are likely slightly larger.

These would be the most telling sign of the species, but only to observers familiar with other local parrots' vocalizations.

Unverified reports exist from west of Mont Panié and the Mont Ignambi area in the North Province, and from the La Foa-Canala road and Yaté Lake in the South Province (Stokes, 1980; Forshaw & Cooper 1989; Ekstrom et al., 2002).

Given the low accessibility of the highlands, flocks could, in theory, exist in any of the larger remaining patches of relatively undisturbed forest, e.g., between the intercoastal roads around the province border.

Related species eat nectar, pollen, blossoms, and sometimes soft fruit, foraging in pairs or small (typically fewer than 10) flocks.

Sarasin & Roux (1913) report a claim that the species existed near Oubatche; one bird was shot but could not be preserved.

Forshaw & Cooper (1989) cite Anthony Stokes, who in December 1976 collected reports on sightings: An older local identified it from a colored plate and claimed to have observed a single bird in shrubland near Lake Yaté "many years ago," possibly in the 1920s.

A forestry official claimed to have twice seen two individuals fly overhead, once in 1953 or 1954 on the La Foa-Canala road, and once on June 3, 1976, W of Mt Panié.

Stokes also reported that collectors coming to New Caledonia to search for this bird offered rewards for live or dead specimens.

This hope isn't unrealistic, given that the subject would be a very small, inconspicuous bird in a large, wild area that is difficult for ornithological field work.

For example, the large-scale destruction of lowland forest may have deprived the species of a food source they seasonally depended on.

Its relative, the red-throated lorikeet, feared extinct since the beginning of the 20th century, apparently survived in considerable numbers to the 1970s.

It is listed as Critically Endangered (D1) by IUCN, which means that the effective population size is likely to be less than fifty individuals.