LORIKEET! By Larissa & Chloe 

Introduction

Lorikeets are a colorful bird. They live in most Australian forests and woodlands and they like to visit cities, gardens and parklands. Lorikeets normally pair up for life and they are almost always seen in pairs or in flocks, which can contain up to a thousand birds at a time. Rainbow Lorikeets look very similar to the Eastern Rosella. What makes them different is the Lorikeets' blue head. 

Life Style

Lorikeets are blossom feeders. These birds feed primarily on nectar and pollen by breaking the flower open with it's sharp beak. Lorikeets also feed on grains, fruit, native berries, leaf-buds and insects. The birds sometimes eat what is not good for them. Lorikeets have small hairs on their tongues which the pollen sticks to, if they are fed seed these small hairs are worn down, which stops the bird from eating pollen. The birds are cavity nesters, living in hollow limbs or trunks of dead or living trees.      

 

                                                                           

The species of Lorikeets                                                         

There are six different types of species of Lorikeets they are the Swainson's Loris, Blue mountain Lorikeets (Bluey,) blue Lorikeet, green collar Lorikeets, the Brestly scaled Lorikeet and the most common

the  Rainbow Lorikeets. 

Breeding:

Two eggs are laid  and the eggs take 24 days to hatch. The babies grow rapidly over 56- 60 days and the young become independent after a further 14 days. The nest is made of old straw and wood dust in a hollow, limb or hole. Only the female lorikeet can lay the eggs while both parents feed the chicks. Sexual maturity is at 18 to 24 months.                                                             

Size:  Length about 30 cm, weight about 125 grams.  

Diet: Apple, pear, grapes, melons, paw paw, mango, oranges and tangerines are all Native to some parts of Australia. These birds love to feast on these. However if seeds are made available (and canary seeds seem to be the most favourite) it should be minor to a  diet more suited to their digestive system.                                                           

Identification: The rainbow lorikeet is one of the most beautiful birds. Normally the colors are yellow, orange, red, light green and a variety of blues. Their beaks are a dark orange with hollow nostrils and black and brown eyes. Their toenails are very sharp so they can hold onto trees.

 

 

     The Skeleton of a Lorikeet                                     This is the skeleton of a Lorikeet. The Skeleton has similar bones to those of a human skeleton, the Radius, Ulna, Tibia, Fibula, Femur  and Ribs. The Lorikeet's skeleton does not grow to the tip of it's tail in fact it's tail hasn't got any bone in it, either do the wings. The bone grows half way up the wing. 

      Location                                                                   The Rainbow Lorikeet can be found in parts of Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and in some areas of South Australia.  The rainbow lorikeets are very rare in western Australia, but popular on the East Coast. They like to live around Tasmania as well.