Spring is Sprung – The Rainbow Lorikeet
Spring has come around again for us who hang from the bottom of the globe here in the Great South Land or the-land-down-under of Aus or Oz as it is […]
Welcome to our website for the study and appreciation of Australian birds and their interesting behaviours.
Spring has come around again for us who hang from the bottom of the globe here in the Great South Land or the-land-down-under of Aus or Oz as it is […]
Spring has come around again for us who hang from the bottom of the globe here in the Great South Land or the-land-down-under of Aus or Oz as it is better known. Our beautiful and very active and accurate flying Rainbow Lorikeet parrot species are busy mating and searching for suitable real estate to nest in as it is very competitive finding suitable holes in eucalypt trees since other species such as Owls, Parrots, KIngfisher. Kookaburra and Cockatoo also compete for these holes. Click on photos to enlarge.



As I share in my book “What Birds Teach Us” these birds are very faithful companions because they pair for life. It is the saddest thing to see one partner grieving the loss of its partner. They are devoted spouses and parents. They feed on nectar from native flowers by flicking it into their mouth with their stubby tongue. They also enjoy native berries and seeds. They are easy to locate due to their noisy conversations with one another, especially when feeding, often in a family group. Here is a sample of their calls:
The Rainbow Lorikeet is rated the most popular Australian bird from the comments of my American blog Followers because of its colouring. If you visited Australia, you would find them in great numbers along the eastern and far northern coast areas as well as in Perth WA. They prefer nesting in the Angophora costata eucalypt tree as well as feeding from the coastal plants and trees.


These birds are known for their affection for one another and are frequently seen assisting in preening each other behind the neck in hard to get at places. You can relish the delight the receiver is experiencing, when you remember how good it is to have an itchy spot scratched on your back by your spouse.


Some of you will recognise the phot above on the right as featured in my book What Birds Teach Us which I mentioned earlier in this post. Click on the image below to find out more about this unique books and why it would make a great gift for your 7 to 12 year old child or grandchild, especially with Christmas approaching.
Male and female Lorikeets are identical in appearance but the juveniles and immatures have dark beaks and eyes with less colourful breast coloration. Here is an adult caring for a juvenile and two juveniles.


Here is a parent trying to allay the hunger cries of a juvenile by engaging beak to beak in the feeding position, to try and pacify it, similar to a dummy being inserted but it only lasts for a minute or so.


It is always a delight to experience the flash of colour in full sunlight when these birds fly. They usually make noisy chatter to each other as they do.

Have a most enjoyable week ! This is my 10th WordPress anniversary today and marks 9 years since my first book was published.


Adv. Dip. in Counselling and Family Therapy.
Member of Birdlife Australia
To introduce people to our unique Australian birds,
And learn from them how to live a healthy and happy life.
NOTE: All photos, videos and music used on this website are photographed, composed, performed by the site owner and remains his copyrighted property, unless otherwise stated. The use of any material that is not original material of the site owner is duly acknowledged as such. © W. A. Hewson 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.

I so love these beautiful birds, Ashley, wish we had them in the U.S. Looking forward to your Spring discoveries! 🙂
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Thanks Donna, we did enjoy our trip as it is always exciting visiting new territory because we usually find new birds, or better pics of birds we have not seen for a long time. Hoping the birds will return for Spring as our unseasonably wet Winter has driven many away, and last month has been the wettest on record for us.
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They’re so beautiful! Thanks for sharing them with us, Ashley. I hope your Spring is filled with great birding days.
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Thanks Deborah, and may your Fall be enjoyable also, hoping and praying you were not affected by the recent hurricane, it must have been a horrific experience.
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Thank you, Ashley! We missed the hurricane by a week. My parents are fine. They’re several miles inland but, their county got hit in some areas pretty hard. We’re keeping all those affected in our prayers.
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Some great captures of this iconic Australian bird Ashley. Brings back memories for me when I had many of these colourful entertainers visiting me in Queensland. We have some small pockets of rainbow lorikeets around Tassie. They are not native to TAS and likely appeared years ago from aviary escapes. Apparently, the state govt here is currently monitoring these birds for their impact on the environment and native birds. When the gum trees are in flower in the reserve across the road from me, there is usually around 30-40 rainbow loris making a lot of noise when feeding on the flowers. I haven’t seen them over the colder months but expect they will soon be making their appearance known again!
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Thanks Sue, yes I do remember your post on your resident Rainbows when you lived in Queensland. They are quite noisy and active chatting away excitedly to each other. They are apparently the most brutal of birds to contend with and even the noisy miners leave them alone. Enjoy your week my friend. 😊
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What a wonderful set of pictures! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks Kathy for your most welcome appreciative comment. I delight in sharing our beautiful Aussie birds. 😊
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Oh I have also seen the lorikeets hiding in the holes of the trees. They are so cute. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us Ashley 🌈💛
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Thanks Karen, and thanks for your appreciative comment it is most welcome 😊
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Wonderful photos. They are delightful.
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Thanks Cindy, much appreciated 😊
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