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Rainbow Lorikeet - Information

Rainbow Lorikeet - Information
DESCRIPTION 11 to 12 inches (28 to 30cm). Patched in a variety of colours. Violet to blue head and belly. Yellow on back of head and mixed with green shades on back and wings. Breast red with yellow. Undertail coverts and underside of tail yellow and green. Underwing coverts orange. Eyes orange-red, beak orange-red, legs greenish-grey.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION Northeastern Australia and nearby areas, one of 21 subspecies scattered over the southwest Pacific.
HABITAT Rainbow Lorikeet likes lowlands, savannahs, woodlands, secondary forests, along water, up to 6,500 feet (2,000m), in pairs or small (noisy) flocks of 5 to 20 birds. Avoids ground, prefers to bathe in damp foliage or rain. Broods in tree hollows. Spends the night in great communal roosts, maybe of thousands.
DIET Rainbow Lorikeet likes Fruits, insects, pollen, nectar (they are important pollinators of coconut flowers), sunflower seeds, oats, ripened grain, canary-grass seeds, spray millet, buckwheat, apples, grapes, carrots, mealworms.
SPECIAL NEEDS Keep in pairs in a long aviary with a roomy night shelter, temperature at 75°F (24°C). Facilities for bathing and perching. Does not get on with other species.
CAGE LIFE Prolific breeder. Digs holes in ground or nest boxes 10 X 10 X 18 inches (25 X 25 X 45cm), entrance V/2 inches (9cm). Lays 2 eggs, incubation 24 to 26 days, fledging 75 to 80 days.