Rainbow lorikeet

Description:

Size around 25 to 30 cm including tail, head is blue with a greenish-yellow nuchal collar, and the rest of the upper parts (wings, back and tail) are deep green. The chest is red with blue-black barring. The belly is deep green, and the thighs and rump are yellow with deep green barring. In flight a yellow wing-bar contrasts clearly with the red underwing coverts. There is little to visually distinguish between the sexes; however, to a keen observer of their colouring and behaviour, their dimorphism is readily apparent. Juveniles have a black beak, which gradually brightens to orange in the adults. The markings of Trichoglossus moluccanus resemble those of the Coconut Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus), but with a blue belly and a more orange breast with little or no blue-black barring Unlike the eclectus parrot, rainbow lorikeets do not have any immediately discernible dimorphic traits. Males and females look identical, and surgical sexing by a vet or DNA analysis of a feather is used to determine the sex of an individual.[9][10] Upon closer observation of their colouring, size and behaviour however, it is possible to determine the sex of a rainbow lorikeet. This process is made easier when one observes them in pairs; however the general rules are that a male will have a greater concentration of dark orange on his breast as opposed to the more pronounced bleeding of yellow into orange of a female. The male will also be more robust across the breast and traditionally have a thicker, more square head whilst the female sports a more rounded visage. When feeding in a flock during breeding season, the male will often puff up and produce a threatening display, hopping around his partner as she feeds and ensuring that competitors for food do not interrupt her ingestion of food.

Habitat:

Spotted at Tumbalong Park, Sydney, the rainbow lorikeet is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas.

Notes:

Rainbow lorikeets are true parrots, within the Psittacoidea superfamily in the order Psittaciformes. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Psittaciformes Superfamily: Psittacoidea Family: Psittaculidae Subfamily: Loriinae Tribe: Loriini Genus: Trichoglossus Species: T. moluccanus