Multicolor parrot lorikeet: photo, description, lifestyle and habitat

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The multi-colored parrot Lorikeet is one of the brightest and noisiest birds of all parrot species. Due to the motley and colorful colors of the feathers, the birds were nicknamed "the clowns of the bird world." They are difficult to confuse with other species. These birds are highly mobile, have simple feeding and breeding requirements, and can quickly adapt to new living resources.

Description of Lorikeet parrots

Multicolor parrots are slender, long-tailed, brightly colored birds of medium size, ranging in length, including the tail, from 25 to 30 centimeters and weighing from 75 to 157 grams. The wingspan is about 45 centimeters.

Parrots reach puberty between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four months. Juveniles generally have a paler and duller plumage than adults, with a much duller brownish-orange dome. The chicks have a black beak, while the adult parrot hasLorikeet bill is bright red with a yellow tip. The head is purple-blue with a greenish-yellow collar, the upper part, wings and tail are dark green. The chest is orange-yellow in color, and the abdomen is purple-blue with yellow and green between the legs and tail. The underwings are orange, but a bold yellow band runs through the middle of the brown primary flight feathers. The eyes are bright red with a narrow dark gray bare ring. The legs are grey, adapted for holding in trees, with two toes in front and two behind. The tail of a parrot is usually long and pointed.

There are few signs to visually distinguish the sex of the bird, the female and male are almost identical, but to the avid observer of their coloration and behavior, their dimorphism is obvious. Multicolored Lorikets have a fast, upright flight with frisky wing beats. As they hover, they flash deep green and bright red.

Places where they meet

Lorikeet parrots can be found in a variety of tree habitats, visiting tropical and mangrove forests, coastal plantations, wet and eucalyptus forests, woodlands and edges, as well as landscaped urban gardens and parks. Some species of Lorikets have become so common in agricultural and suburban areas that they are considered pests. The average lifespan of birds in the wild is about twelve years, while in zoos they can live up to twenty.

The natural range of multi-colored Lorikets includes southern and eastern Indonesia, New Guinea,New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, the island of Goali, coastal areas throughout northern and eastern Australia, where they get used to the neighborhood of people and live in close proximity to housing. In the northern part of Australia, parrots live all year round, but in the south of the country birds roam in search of food when the vegetation changes with the season.

Reproduction

After reaching puberty, Lorikets form a pair, they are usually monogamous and maintain long-term pair bonds for a long period, if not for life. The breeding season can vary widely between regions, depending on climate and food availability, but in Australia it usually occurs from August to January of the following year. As soon as pairs are formed, Lorikeet parrots find a place to nest. They lay their eggs usually in the hollow branches of eucalyptus trees, on chewed, decayed and rotten wood. Pairs sometimes nest in the same tree with another pair of multicolored lorikeets or other bird species.

Females typically lay one to two whitish eggs measuring approximately 28 by 23 millimeters. Both parents prepare nests, feed and raise chicks, but incubation is carried out only by the female and takes from 22 to 25 days. After about 7-8 weeks, the cubs leave the nest and after another 15-20 days after fledging, they become completely independent. Multicolored Lorikeet parrots are very prolific, they are able to raise up to three broods per season.

Behavior and character

Lorikeets tend tohyperactive, outgoing and loud both in captivity and in the wild. The birds are very noisy, during the flight the parrots continuously emit a sharp shrill squeal and regularly utter soft chirps at rest.

Their behavior is sometimes quite comical, especially during the breeding season, when the male tries to impress the female with many mating dances. He follows the female, tilting his neck and shaking his head while whistling, his pupils constantly dilating and contracting during this routine.

Parrots are strong fliers, they can travel up to 30 kilometers, flying from a feeding place to a lodging place. In their habitats, multicolored Lorikeets are usually seen in fast-flying pairs or flocks in the photo, inhabiting and feeding in the treetops. Lorikeets rarely come down to the ground, unless they want to drink or treat themselves to additional food from a person.

Food

In their natural habitat, Lorikeets mainly feed on the nectar and pollen of local fruits and flowers. The nectar gives them energy, while the pollen provides protein for he althy feathers. Birds play a major beneficial role in the pollination of trees and plants. They may also consume small insects and larvae. Lorikeet parrots have a special tongue, the tip of which is covered with a hairy brush, which is used to collect liquid nectar from the depths of the flowers.

In captivity, the menu of birds may consist of sweet fruits and berries, dried bread made from wheat flour, possibly honey, sweetenedmilk, vegetable and fruit juices. Wrong food - nuts, hard grains and fruits, can damage their tongue and weak beak.

Lorikeet parrot: owner reviews

Despite the fact that Lorikets are playful, affectionate and curious birds, they are not considered good pets by breeders. This is because parrots can hardly be called clean, their caustic liquid droppings pollute not only the cage, but also the space around within a meter radius. Therefore, multi-colored Lorikets have to be cleaned almost every day.

Birds are very sociable, loud and prone to mischief. Games are loved by both chicks and adults. All kinds of toys for birds are destroyed in the blink of an eye, and only then attention switches to household items, so you should be on the lookout. However, this does not mean that the Lorikeet is an aggressive bird, on the contrary, parrots are good-natured and friendly, especially to their owner.