Rainbow Lorikeet

Once again it is Wednesday and time for my Australian bird post. 

This week I have chosen to show you the very colourful bird, the

 Rainbow Lorikeet - Trichoglossus haematodus 

 

It is a species of Australasian parrot found in Australia, eastern Indonesia (Maluku and Western New Guinea), Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In Australia, it is common along the eastern seaboard, from Queensland to South Australia and northwest Tasmania. Its habitat is rain forest, coastal bush and woodland areas. 

Several taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the Rainbow Lorikeet are increasingly treated as separate species. 

Rainbow Lorikeets are true parrots, within the Psittacoidea super family in the order Psittaciformes.

 

The Rainbow Lorikeet is a medium-sized parrot, with the length ranging from 9.8-11.8 ins in size, and has a wingspan of about 6.7 ins. The weight varies from 2.6–5.5 ozs. The plumage of the nominate race, as with all subspecies, is very bright. The head is deep blue with a greenish-yellow nuchal collar, and the rest of the upper parts (wings, back and tail) are deep green. The chest is red with blue-black barring. The belly is deep green, and the thighs and rump are yellow with deep green barring. In flight a yellow wing-bar contrasts clearly with the red under wing coverts.

 

There is little to visually distinguish between the sexes, however to a keen observer of their colouring and behaviour, their dimorphism is readily apparent.

Juveniles have a black beak, which gradually brightens to orange in the adults.

 

Upon closer observation of both their colouring, size and behaviour however, it is possible to determine the sex of a Rainbow Lorikeet.

 

This process is made infinitely easier when one observes them in pairs, however the general rules are that a male will have a greater concentration of dark orange on his breast as opposed to the more pronounced bleeding of yellow into orange of a female.

The male will also be more robust across the breast and traditionally have a thicker, more square head whilst the female sports a more rounded visage. 

 

 

Rainbow Lorikeets are monogamous and pair for life.

 

Rainbow Lorikeets often travel together in pairs and occasionally respond to calls to fly as a flock, then disperse again into pairs. Rainbow Lorikeet pairs defend their feeding and nesting areas aggressively against other Rainbow Lorikeets and other bird species. They chase off not only smaller birds such as the Noisy Miner, but also larger and more powerful birds such as the Australian Magpie.

 

  When feeding in a flock during breeding season, the male will often puff up and produce a threatening display, hopping around his partner as she feeds and ensuring that competitors for food do not interrupt her ingestion of food.

Diet 

Rainbow Lorikeets feed mainly on fruit, pollen and nectar, and possess a tongue adapted especially for their particular diet. The end of the tongue is equipped with a papillate appendage adapted to gathering pollen and nectar from flowers. 

Nectar from eucalyptus is important in Australia, other important nectar sources are Pittosporum, Grevillea, Spathodea campanulata (African Tulip-tree), and sago palm.  In Melanesia coconuts are very important food sources, and Rainbow Lorikeets are important pollinators of these.  They also consume the fruits of Ficus, Trema, Mutingia, as well as papaya and mangoes already opened by fruit bats.

They also eat crops such as apples, and will raid maize and sorghum.  They are also frequent visitors at bird feeders placed in gardens, which supply store-bought nectar, sunflower seeds, and fruits such as apples, grapes and pears.

 

 In many places, including campsites and suburban gardens, wild Lorikeets are so used to humans that they can be hand-fed.

 

 Semi-tame Lorikeets are common daily visitors in many Sydney backyards, though many people, ignorant of their dietary requirements, feed them bread or bread coated with honey. This is an inadequate source of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that the Rainbow Lorikeet requires and can lead to health and feather formation issues in young Lorikeets.   

 

Packet mixes with a nutritional mix suitable for feeding lorikeets are generally available from vets and pet stores.

 

 

Breeding

In Australia, breeding usually occurs during spring (September to December), but can vary from region to region with changes in food availability and climate. Nesting sites are variable and can include hollows of tall trees such as eucalyptus, palm trunks, or overhanging rock.  One population in the Admiralty Islands nests in holes in the ground on predator-free islets.  Pairs sometimes nest in the same tree with other Rainbow Lorikeet pairs, or other bird species.   The clutch size is between one and three eggs, which are incubated for around 25 days.   Incubation duties are carried out by the female alone.

 

Status

Overall, the Rainbow Lorikeet remains widespread and often common. It is therefore considered to be of Least Concern by BirdLife International. The status for some localised subspecies is more precarious, with especially T. h. rosenbergii (which possibly is worthy of treatment as a separate species) being threatened by habitat loss and capture for the parrot trade.

 

As a pest

 

The Rainbow Lorikeet was accidentally released into the southwest of the state of Western Australia near the University of Western Australia in the 1960s and they have since been classified as a pest.  Rainbow Lorikeets can also be found in New Zealand, particularly around the Auckland area. New Zealand's Department of Conservation has declared them a pest and is implementing methods to control and eradicate them.

 

Many fruit orchard owners consider them a pest, as they often fly in groups and strip trees containing fresh fruit. In urban areas, the birds create nuisance noise and fouling of outdoor areas and vehicles with droppings.

 

 

 

 

In Western Australia, a major impact of the Rainbow Lorikeet is competition with indigenous bird species. This includes domination of feeding resources, and competition for increasingly scarce nesting hollows.  Birds such as the Purple-crowned Lorikeet and Carnaby's Black-Cockatoo are adversely affected or displaced.

 

 The short video can be accessed at

 

http://youtu.be/uF6V7e-g6aQ

 

If there is a black space below, click it and the video will appear.

 

  

 

I hope you liked seeing and learning a bit about the Rainbow Lorikeet today.  The first Lorikeet was one of two that came to my duaghter's garden in Sydney every day to get their grapes. 

 

Many thanks for visiting.

 

I enjoyed the autumn colours on yesterday's post as much as you all did and I thank you for all your comment.  The trees were all Maple.

 

As requested, someday I will do a post about the C.S Lewis tour but maybe not for a while as it is going to take quite a bit of work.

 

I am linking to Wild Bird Wednesday today.