Rainbow Lorikeets
Above: Photo of a Rainbow Lorikeet
Rainbow Lorikeets would have to be one of Australia’s most beautiful birds. They are aptly named. As they fly overhead in a flash of colour they light up their little patch of the azure blue sky. Their feathers are a brilliant blend of bright reds, greens, blues and yellows. As they screech overhead - and that is an accurate description of their harsh calls - their stunningly red underwings are like a blood-streak across a blue backdrop.
Rainbow Lorikeets are widespread along the northern, eastern and southern coastal regions of Australia. Their preferred habitats include woodlands, rainforests and wherever eucalypts are numerous. They are easily seen in parks and gardens throughout many of our towns and cities.
Despite being quite common I have had some difficulty getting reasonably clear photographs of this species. When flying they seem to be going too fast to focus on them. When feeding they are often well hidden in the thick foliage of a eucalypt tree as they search out nectar from the flowers.
A single tree, if heavily in flower, can be host to twenty or thirty of these stunning beauties, their contact calls a never-ending chorus of murmurings and chatterings. Yet, despite the numbers, most remain hidden amongst the leaves, usually near the top and out of sight - but not out of earshot. In large numbers their screeching can be deafening, especially near sunset as they squabble and jostle for roosting spots.
Blog Entries
April 20th, 2006 at 7:25 am
Hi, I just wanted some information on how I can attract these beautiful birds into my yard/garden. I have a fairly high up bird feeder, which currently accommodates the usual cockies and galah’s, I also get rosellas and the odd king parrot. I am also looking to attract more of the colourful native parrots, like the king parrot.
If you could provide me with some information on how to attract the lorikeets into my garden, I would really appreciate it. We have HEAPS of eucalypts out the back which are in flower and there are thousands of rainbow lorikeets around, but despite my best efforts of mixing some bread and honey, they have not come down to our yard…..
April 20th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Thanks for your comments and questions. All those Rainbow Lorikeets must be noisy! You are so lucky to have all those parrots nearby, especially the King Parrot - such a beautiful bird. I assume you are putting out parrot mix seed for the galahs and cockatoos. The king parrots will eat that too, I think, but putting out fruit might encourage them to stay.
I am no expert at suggesting what to do to attract the Rainbow Lorikeets, but if there are so many flowering eucalypt trees nearby, they have a feast there readily available to them. Why would they go elsewhere?
I think I have read in a number of publications that putting out honey is not a good idea - I can’t remember the reason why. There are a number of publications that might be helpful. Try the following bibliography
http://www.anbg.gov.au/bibliography/wildlife.html
I also came up with a great list of resources by typing in “Birdscaping your Garden” in Google. There is a book of that name published in 1981 but still relevant.
July 12th, 2006 at 3:08 am
[…] Rainbow Lorikeets […]
September 7th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Hi Trevor - I’m trying to figure out what to grow to attract these georgeous birds into my garden - my neighbour had about 20 of them on their very sparse little tree - amazing! I wish I’d had my camera. Is it any flowering eucalypt they like, or is there species I should be looking for?
PS. I got a georgeous front-on close up of a couple of them eating bread in my garden - they let me come within about 2m of them! If you’d like to use the pic I can send it to you.
September 7th, 2006 at 8:13 pm
They are spectacular birds - especially in numbers. I’m not the expert in the family on plants - that is my wife’s area (see her blog about Australian native plants at
http://www.malleenativeplants.com.au/ )
Any flowering eucalyptus tree seems to be attractrive to the Rainbow Lorikeets. Possibly the best would have to be Euc. torquata, Euc. leucoxylon, Euc. caesia Euc. eremophila, Euc. stricklandii. My advice would be to visit your local native plant nursery and discuss your needs. Whatever you plant make sure that the species is not too big for your garden and not too close to the house. Some gum trees have a habit of dropping limbs! Before going to the nursery take a walk around the neighbourhood and look for trees that are doing well in your locality. Ask the resident what they are and buy that for your garden.
Thanks for the offer of the photo. I have taken several more since writing this article. See my photo gallery for more pics.
Good luck, good gardening - and happy birding.
October 24th, 2006 at 5:11 pm
We have a tree in our Brisbane backyard the gardener referred to as a “cork tree” (it has very soft and spongy bark). It is a tropical species apparently. Its pretty sparse and not much to look at. However in January it comes out in many small pink flowers and the rainbow and scaley-breasted (to a lesser extent) loris go completely nuts over it. Pairs will alight on the tree and defend it from all comers for hours at a time.
October 24th, 2006 at 5:45 pm
The flowers of that tree sound rather nice - obviously the Lorikeets think it is rather special too. The flowers must taste nice to them. I have not yet seen the Scaly Breasted Lorikeet but they certainly look lovely in my field guide. I expect they are just as noisy as the Rainbows.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Hi Trevor,
I am a wildlife foster carer and currently have a rainbow lorikeet in my care, i am trying to determine what sex it is and seem to not be having much luck with research. Can you give me any tips with the difference between the males and females?
I look forward to your response.
Thanks
September 10th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Hi there Kerri Lee,
My reference books all say that the sexes are identical as far as colouration is concerned.
The only sure way would be to examine the reproductive organs - I have absolutely no idea how you go about that! Try to find someone in your neighbourhood who keeps parrots in aviaries and ask for their help.
One website I found suggested that the only sure way is to take the bird to a vet for DNA testing - at a cost of about $40.
Sorry I couldn’t be of any help.