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Perfect Lorikeet Species Description

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Breed Organization

National Audubon Society

Cornell Lab of Orinthology

The Avian Web


Other Names
Olive-headed Lorikeet, Yellow-headed Lorikeet

Classification
Order Passeriformes
Family Psittacidae

Scientific Name
Trichoglossus euteles

Species Description

Adults average 9.75 inches (25 cm) in length and 2.8 - 3 oz (80 - 85 g) in weight.Adults in general green; olive/yellow head, bordered with pale green collar around neck; underwing stripe yellow. Bill orange/red. Eye red. Immature birds are green/olive, lightly streaked with paler green. Bill brown. Eye brown. Calls are described as repetitious. long and wheezy; also rapid, buzzy trilling notes and muted series of harsh, longer squeaks, twitters and whistles. They can expect to live for about 15 or 16 years.

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.

Distribution

It is found in Indonesia and Timor-Leste.


Captivity

The cost is quite prohibitve to acquire and only experienced breeders should attempt breeding them.

Summary

Lories and lorikeets have specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar and soft fruits. They can feed from the flowers of about 5,000 species of plants and use their specialised tongues to take the nectar. The tip of their tongues have tufts of papillae (extremely fine hairs), which collect nectar and pollen.

Lorikeets have tapered wings and pointed tails that allow them to fly easily and display great agility. They also have strong feet and legs. They tend to be hyperactive and clownish in personality both in captivity and the wild.

Lories and lorikeets are usually classified as the subfamily, Loriinae, the most clearly distinct of the several rather uncertain subfamilies within the true parrots (Psittacidae) family. Some authorities regard the differences between the Loriinae and the other parrots as sufficient to justify giving the group full family status, in which case, following the biological naming conventions, they become the Loriidae, and are placed alongside the remaining true parrots (Psittacidae) and the cockatoos (Cacatuidae) within the parrots (Psittaciformes) order.


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