RAINBOW LORIKEET
The Rainbow Lorikeet is a little, glistening Australian parrot with a brush tipped tongue. Besides Australia you will find the lories inhabiting Indonesia, New Guinea and the Pacific. The length of an adult Rainbow Lorikeet is about fifteen inches long and they weigh about five ounces. The Rainbow Lorikeet have brightly colored red, green, blue, yellow, and orange plumage. Most of the bird's body is green with orange feathers on its chest. The color of their head and torso are blue, a curved red beak, eyes of red similar in color to their beak and a dark green back. The Rainbow Lorikeet has a light green color on the back of its neck and the males and females are similar in color. The female's head is a bit smaller and the blue coloring is lighter. There may be orange feathers mixed in with the green on her lower back and the Rainbow Lorikeet can live up to twenty years.
Rainbow Lorikeets mainly live in the tropics. People observe the Rainbow Lorikeet from Cape York to Tasmania in Australia. The bird lives in seaside lowlands, rain forests, open timberlands, woodlands, heath, city parks, suburban trees, gardens and orchards in Australia. Their chosen environment is prevalent, where flowers are available. They also inhabit the woodland areas on the offshore islands. They also inhabit mangroves and coconut palms along the Queensland coast.
Reports from Australia suggest that the largest numbers of Rainbow Lorikeets are on the North Shore with smaller concentrations in Mount Albert/Remuera, Glendowie, Whangaparaoa and possible sightings of pairs from other locations including Clevedon, Howick, Henderson Valley, and Waiheke Island.
What New Zealand species do the Lorikeets affect? Rainbow Lorikeets may threaten the native honey eating Australian birds like the tui, bellbird and hihi (stitchbird). All of these birds compete for the same food source. Lorikeets will fly onto a food supply in a group and chase the native birds away. Lorikeets can chase larger birds away like the sulfur crested cockatoos.
10- Also, the Rainbow Lorikeets nest in cavities of trees like the native stitchbird, kaka and kakariki. Because all are cavity nesters there will be competition for nest sites. Some of these birds affected by the Rainbow Lorikeet are surviving well at the outer islands. The birds nest in holes in trees or even large fence posts. They will make the nesting hole larger if necessary. Before the young are born the adult mating pairs lay wood chips on the base of the hole as a nest.
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