Range: Regions of Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Zealand, New Caledonia
Habitat: Rainforest, open forest (highland and lowland), woodlands, heath, mangroves, gardens, parks, and orchards depending on species.
Description: Red with some black and blue on wing coverts, tail feathers and flight feathers.
Adaptations/Habitat: As with most other parrots, lories are very sociable birds, many being found in large flocks. Lories and lorikeets are adapted to eat a diet primarily of pollen, nectar and fruit, which is a principal difference from other groups of parrots. To help them harvest nectar and pollen, their bill is longer and narrower and less powerful than their seed crushing cousins. The papillae on the tip of the tongue are elongated, giving the tip of the tongue a brush-like appearance. For this reason, lories and lorikeets are often called the "brush-tongued parrot".
Breeding/Growth:
Diet: Pollen and nectar are primary to their diets. They will also eat some fruit, berries, seeds, leaf buds and insects. As a result of their feeding preferences, lories play a major role in pollination of some trees and flowering plant species. Also because of their diet, lories are notorious for the volume and nature of their droppings!
Exhibit: Lorikeet Landing
Notes: STATUS:Several species of lory and lorikeet are endangered, threatened or vulnerable to extinction. The main threats are habitat loss, introduced predators (rats and cats), and over collecting for the pet trade.
