Rainbow lorikeet
| Rainbow Lorikeet | |
|---|---|
| |
| Rainbow Lorikeets | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | T. haematodus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Trichoglossus haematodus | |
The Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) is a bird common to the eastern seaboard of Australia, ranging from Queensland though to South Australia. It is also found around north west Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforests, coastal bush and woodland areas.
It feeds mainly on nectar and pollen year round (it does this by crushing the flower in its flower-eating type beak), but will also eat fruit. Breeding is mainly during the Australian spring (September-November), and mated pairs nest in eucalypt tree hollows. During the winter when there is a certain shortage of food, these birds will flock to a house that has put out fruit for them. Rainbow lorikeets are known to be very friendly and will usually eat apple, grapes or pear. Many fruit orchard owners know them as a pest, as they often fly in groups and strip trees containing fresh fruit.
These birds form large flocks, often making a cacophony of loud screeching sounds, especially when feeding. Members of the parrot family, they have the familiar strong hooked beak of this family. Rainbow lorikeets grow to 25-30cm in size, with a wingspan of about 7in., and stocky bodies that support their fast, agile flight. There are 21 different subspecies.
Rainbow lorikeets have strikingly bright colours, with a red beak and eyes, blue head, a light green stripe at the rear of the head and primarily a green body. The stomach is crimson, turning to orange and yellow towards the wings, and violet and dark blue towards the lower body.
The birds are a common sight in Australia's leafy urban areas, and will happily eat fruit and other treats left out for them. (A nectar mix is the best to give; bread is bad for them, especially when smothered in jam.)
Hand-reared rainbow lorikeets may be bought from a pet store. They make good pets, having a playful, "larrikin" temperament. They may not be appropriate pets for everyone due to their finicky dietary needs. Note that birds should never be taken from the wild as they are a protected species, and these do not make good pets anyway.
In many places wild lorikeets are so used to human campers and visitors that they can be handfed. Most notable is Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland, where thousands of rainbow lorikeets live in its environs. Around 4pm each day the birds gather in a huge, noisy flock in the parks main area. Here visitors are encouraged to feed them a specially prepared nectar, and the birds will happily settle on peoples' arms and heads to consume it.
Subspecies
There are many subspecies of Rainbow Lorikeets. They are:
- Blue-Faced Lorikeet (T. h. intermedius)
- Brook's Lorikeet (T. h. brooki)
- Dark-Throated Lorikeet (T. h. nigrogularis)
- Djampea Lorikeet (T. h. djampeanus)
- Edward's Lorikeet (T. h. capistratus)
- Forsten's Lorikeet (T. h. forsteni)
- Green-naped Lorikeet (T. h. haematodus)
- Massena's Lorikeet, Coconut Lorikeet (T. h. massena)
- Mitchell's Lorikeet (T. h. mitchellii)
- Ninigo Lorikeet (T. h. nesophilus)
- Olive-Green Lorikeet (T. h. flavicans)
- Red-Collared Lorikeet (T. h. rubritorquis)
- Rosenberg's Lorikeet (T. h. rosenbergii)
- Southern Green-Naped Lorikeet (T. h. micropteryx)
- Stresemann's (T. h. stresemanni)
- Sumba Lorikeet (T. h. fortis)
- Swainson's Lorikeet (T. h. moluccanus)
- Weber's Lorikeet (T. h. weberi)
- Wetar Lorikeet (T. h. flavotectus)
- Pale Head Lorikeet (T. h. caeruleiceps)
- Deplanche's Lorikeet (T. h. deplanchii)
The Green-naped is distinctive in that it has black "bands" on it's breast. It is frequently confused with the Forsten's Lorikeet and several other subspecies.
In Handbook of Lories and Lorikeets (ISBN 0-86622-565-X), it is stated that the Dark-Throated Lorikeet (T. h. nigrogularis) and the Pale Head Lorikeet (T. h. caeruleiceps) are actually the same thing. Whether this is correct or not is unknown. They hang upside down to suck nectar from the flowers and they have hair on their tongue so it would be easyer to get it
Pest status in some areas
The Rainbow lorikeet have been introduce by breeders into the south-west of Western Australia where they are classified as a pest [1] . They can also be found in New Zealand [2] in particular around Auckland, New Zealand's Department of Conservation has also declared them as a pest and are utilising similar methods to control and eradicate them.
Gallery
-
Wild Rainbow Lorikeets at Perry Lakes -
Rainbow Lorikeet
-
A Forsten's Lorikeet
-
A Green-naped Lorikeet. -
A flock of Rainbow Lorikeets in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. -
A close-up view of a Rainbow Lorikeet. -
Two Rainbow Lorikeets eating breakfast scraps on Brampton Island. -
Despite their bright colours, the lorikeets blend in with laden fruit trees. -
Rainbow Lorikeet in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia -
Rainbow Lorikeet in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
-
Swainson's Rainbow Lorikeet, as a pet.
References
- Handbook of Lories and Lorikeets by Roger Sweeney (ISBN 0-86622-565-X)