Rainbow Lorikeets / Rainbow Lories, Green Naped Lories / Lorikeets (Choglossus haematodus haematodus)
- Lories as Pets or Aviary Birds
- Feeding & Housing Your Lories & Lorikeets
- Lories & Lorikeets in Aviculture
- Lory Photo Gallery
- Listing of Species
- Lory / Lorikeet Books
- Lory Food
- Diseases of Lories / Lorikeets & Health Care Program
The Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) is a parrot common to the eastern seaboard of Australia, ranging from Queensland to South Australia. It is also found around northwest Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas.
Forshaw recognizes 21 sub-species of this group, the most common of which is the Green-naped Lory. Not all sub-species are found in captivity and fewer still in the pet market. They come from New Guinea and the surrounding islands.
Description:
Rainbow lorikeets grow to 25-30cm in size, with a wingspan of about 17cm. Their eponymous markings are particularly striking: a dark blue head and stomach, a bright green back, tail and vent, and a red breast and beak.
Rainbow Lorikeets and Humans
As with any parrot, ownership of lorikeets must not be taken lightly. Captive lorikeets have a long lifespan, often in excess of 20 years. Their diet makes them particularly messy; they are well-known in aviculture for their messy, liquid droppings and energetic nature. Captive-bred rainbow lorikeets are legal to own in Australia. Talking Ability (compared to other species)
In many places wild lorikeets are so used to human campers and visitors that they can be hand-fed. The Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland is noted for its numerous lorikeets, which number in the thousands. Around 4pm each day the birds gather in a huge, noisy flock in the park's main area. Here visitors are encouraged to feed them a specially-prepared nectar, and the birds will happily settle on arms and heads to consume it. Rainbow lorikeets can also be hand-fed by visitors at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Queensland, and in many zoos and animal parks outside Australia.
Lories as Pets:
Lories are popular companion birds due to their intelligence, entertaining personality and stunning beauty. They are also quite easily bred, so there are readily available. Their expected lifespan is 28+ years. They reach maturity at 8 months or later. Males and females look alike and breeders depend on DNA or endoscopic sexing to determine sex. Most stay tame, even in maturity.
They are affectionate, curious, extroverted and clowny and exhibit some unique behaviors. Some like to wrap themselves up in a blanket for sleeping. At times, they can even be seen sleeping on their backs. They are capable of aggressive behavior if their territory and possessions are not respected. They are demanding in care requirements (especially diet preparations) and require a lot of attention. Daily baths or showers should be part of their grooming regimen.
Due to their diet which consists for the most part of fruits and nectar, their droppings are very runny and messy. Special adaptations around the cage are recommended. Carpet underneath a cage will be the poorest choice of all. Everything in the vicinity of the cage should be easy to clean. This being said, lories are very trainable and, with a little patience and know-how, can be taught to eliminate in a certain area on cue. This webpage will provide you with instructions.
Their voice ranges from loud, piercing whistles and metallic "pings" to soft, high-pitched warbles and chattering.
Caring for your Lory:
Diet:
In the wild, Rainbow lorikeets feed mainly on pollen and nectar, and possess a tongue adapted especially for their particular diet. Many fruit orchard owners consider them a pest, as they often fly in groups and strip trees containing fresh fruit. They are also frequent visitors at bird feeders that supply lorikeet-friendly treats, such as store-bought nectar, sunflower seeds, and fruits such as apples, grapes and pears.
Their diet should consists mainly of commercial or home-made nectar. Liquid nectar will need to be replaced several times daily. In warm weather every 4 hours. Spoiled nectar will cause your lory to become ill and possibly die. Excellent commercial formulas are available on this website.
Lories also love fruits, such as apples, pomegranates, papaya, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple, figs, kiwi, and some vegetables, including corn-on-the-cob. Another healthful addition to their diet are flowers, including pansies, nasturtiums, roses, hibiscus, marigolds, and dandelions. All fruits, veggies and flowers should be pesticide free. Organic is always best. (For non-toxic ways to control pests in the house or garden, please visit this webpage.)
Housing:
Lories are very active birds and require large cages. The minimum cage size for a single lory should be 36" H x 48" L x 24" W or to accommodate a pair the cage dimensions needs to be, at a minimum, 36" H x 60" L x 36" W. You have to remember that you need room for the many toys that lories so cherish, perches, food / water dishes, maybe a "birdy tent" -- as well as providing sufficient space for them to move around, exercise their wings. etc.
Care should be taken in cage design and placement since the birds have a tendency to squirt their waste matter, which is fairly liquid, behind them with some force. It is not recommended to place the cage behind a delicately decorated wall and on unprotected carpet. Easy-care flooring is recommended, as well as a washable wall. An acrylic panel custom-cut and placed over the wall would be a great way to protect it. The acrylic panel can easily be taken outside and hosed down. There are acrylic cages available, but lories love to climb and scramble about, so a standard, high quality powder coated cage is a better choice - as large as the space you have will allow.
In an outdoor aviary they are the easiest birds to maintain, as all of their waste can simply be hosed away, no seed hulls to sweep up or sticky, green and white droppings running down the side of the cage to scrub off. Lory droppings are mostly clear or beige. A word of caution about placing lories in mixed-species aviaries. Some lories can be very aggressive toward other birds, while others will mingle just fine. The worst is probably the Chattering Lory. They seem to take great pleasure in doing in other birds in their territory.
Reproduction / Rainbow:
Breeding usually occurs during spring (September to December in Australia and March through June in the U.S.), and in the wild, mated pairs nest in eucalypt tree hollows. In captivity several striking mutations have occurred. Please refer to the photo to the right:
Training and Behavioral Guidance:
Lories are known for their intelligence, and they are more than happy to entertain you with the tricks that have learned. They are capable of aggressive behavior if their territory and possessions are not respected and nippiness can occur if this behavior is not managed.
Consistent training and behavioral guidance is recommended so that you can enjoy a bird free of destructive and annoying habits. Behavioral challenges that lories and lorikeets present include:
- Excessive Chewing: Any parrot will chew. In nature, they use their beak to "customize" their favorite tree, to enlarge the size of their nest in a tree hollow. Doing this keeps their beaks in good condition. The problem is excessive and undesirable chewing. Heavy chewing is not a huge problem with lories per se. Most of them never really develop any major destructive issues in that area. However, it is recommended that the owner provide their lory with plenty of "healthy" chewing opportunities (bird toys, natural wood branches, etc.) and training is necessary to teach a lory what items are "off-limits."
- Biting: Lories, as is the case with most parrots, are likely to discover their beaks as a method of "disciplining us" once they are out of the "baby stage." It really is important to learn to understand them and to guide their behavior before an undesirable behavior has been established. If this behavior is unchecked, the lory is likely to be dominating the entire family, chasing and attacking their least favorite humans. Training is vital to stop this destructive behavior.
- Screaming: Their voice ranges from loud, piercing whistles and metallic "pings" to soft, high-pitched warbles and chattering. Many of them turn into excellent talkers; some having whole sentences in their vocabulary. With a little training they can be taught to communicate with words rather than using their shrill calls for the most part. However, their natural call / voice cannot be entirely eliminated; but their occurrence can be reduced. The owner has to understand that even with training, the lory voice can get quite loud, with a high pitched screech.
Training and behavioral guidance will help your pet be the kind of companion you want it to be ...
- AvianWeb Resources: I put together web resources for you to help you understand your pet bird and properly direct him. Please visit this website for valuable tips on parrot behavior and training. If you found a way to resolve a "parrot behavioral issue" please share it with others.
- If you are, as I am, a visual learner and prefer step-by-step instructions to train your pet, I recommend:
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
- Stop Biting
- Perform Tricks &
- Tame ANY SIZE bird you could possibly own
- and/or try the "Teach Your Parrot to Talk" Training Course.
- the Parrot Training Course to teach your parrot to:
If you are considering one of these magnificent parrots as pets, please visit the following websites for information:
- Procuring your Parrot
- Bird Breeders
- Do you breed this species and would like to be listed? Click here to see your options.
- The 3 Key Elements to Keep Your Pet Bird Happy & Healthy
- Housing Your Bird
- Bird Nutrition
- Parrot Products
Taxonomy:
Family: Loriidae
Genus: Scientific: Trichoglossus ... English: Wedge-tailed Lorikeets ... Dutch: Wigstaartlori ... German: Keilschwanzloris ... French: Loriquet
Species: Scientific: Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus ... English: Rainbow Lorikeet, Green-naped Lory ... Dutch: Regenbooglori, Groenneklori ... German: Breitbinden Allfarblori ... French: Loriquet à nuque verte
Distribution: Buru, Amboina, Ceram, Ceramlaut, Goram, Watubela Western Papuan Islands, Islands in Geelvink Bay, Western New Guinea, Kai Islands
If you would like to add to or correct any of the above information, or would like to share with the AvianWeb visitors your own experiences, please e-mail the AvianWeb Webmaster.
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