Description
Is unmistakable with its bright red beak and colourful plumage. Both sexes look alike, with a blue (mauve) head and belly, green wings, tail and back, and an orange/yellow breast. They are often seen in loud and fast-moving flocks, or in communal roosts at dusk.
Distribution
Found in coastal regions across northern and eastern Australia, with a local population in Perth (Western Australia), initiated from aviary releases.
Lifespan
10 - 20 years.
Size
28 - 32cm in length and weighs approximately 133 grams.
Diet
Forages on the flowers of shrubs or trees to harvest nectar and pollen, but also eats fruits, seeds and some insects.
Habitat
A wide range of habitats including rainforest and woodlands, as well as in well-treed urban areas.
Breeding
The eggs of the Rainbow Lorikeet are laid on chewed, decayed wood, usually in a hollow limb of a eucalypt tree. Both sexes prepare the nest cavity and feed the young, but only the female incubates the eggs.