BIRDS - RAINBOW LORIKEETS

Rainbow Lorikeet

Trichoglossus haematodus
Psittacidae

Rainbow Lorikeets are widespread in eastern and northern Australia, and also around Perth. Separated from their natural range by thousands of kilometres, the feral Rainbow Lorikeets of Perth had become established by the late 1960s. In the 1980s, the population expanded. The problem with Rainbow Lorikeets in Perth is that they are aggressive around nesting hollows, preventing native birds from nesting. They have even been recorded dragging the nestlings of Australian Ringnecks from hollows and dropping them onto the ground, then occupying the hollow themselves.

Description

The Rainbow Lorikeet is unmistakable with its bright red beak and colourful plumage. Both sexes look alike, with a blue (mauve) head and belly, green wings, tail and back, and an orange/yellow breast. They are often seen in loud and fast-moving flocks, or in communal roosts at dusk.

Similar Species

Rainbow Lorikeets are such colourful parrots that it is hard to mistake them for other species. The related Scaly-breasted Lorikeet is similar in size and shape, but can be distinguished by its all-green head and body.

Feeding

The Rainbow Lorikeet mostly forages on the flowers of shrubs or trees to harvest nectar and pollen, but also eats fruits, seeds and some insects.

Breeding

The eggs of the Rainbow Lorikeet are laid on chewed, decayed wood, usually in a hollow limb of a eucalypt tree. Both sexes prepare the nest cavity and feed the young, but only the female incubates the eggs.