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Rainbow Lorikeet
Trichoglossus haematodus
-27.5086, 153.018
Field Notes
Description:
The Rainbow Lorikeet is a medium sized parrot, with the length ranging from 25–30 cm (9.8-11.8 in) in size, and has a wingspan of about 17 cm (6.7 in). The weight varies from 75–157 g (2.6–5.5 oz). Breeding in the wild is from August to January. Rainbow Lorikeets feed mainly on fruit, pollen and nectar, and possess a tongue adapted especially for their particular diet. The end of the tongue is equipped with a papillate appendage adapted to gathering pollen and nectar from flowers. It is one of maybe 18 to 20 subspecies of T. haematodus, a complex which is widely distributed through the southwest Pacific islands, Papua-New Guinea and Indonesia.
Habitat:
The Rainbow Lorikeet is widely distributed in Australia along the coastal strip from Cape York south to Victoria and into South Australia. It is often abundant from Sydney northwards, but is becoming rarer south of Sydney. An increasing population around Perth, in Western Australia, is thought to be derived from escaped aviary birds. The preferred habitat is coastal forests as well as urban gardens. Noisy flocks of up to several hundred birds may congregate in flowering trees to feed and roost, at times in the company of Scaly Breasted Lorikeets. Orchard owners hunt Rainbow Lorikeet groups because they strip trees of fresh fruit, and they are also unwelcome in urban areas because of their droppings and noise.
Notes:
One member of a group of Lorikeets feeding on the nectar of grevillea flowers in my garden. Beautiful and comical they may be, but they're noisy little buggers! I wouldn't have it any other way though. I'm very pleased with these photos, particularly the primary photo. I think it's the soft light that makes it work well. The other photos taken at the time were quite blue, but this and one other photo were taken from a different angle, and both had a much softer backdrop.
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