Page 610 - Hand rearing birds second

611

40

Lorikeets

Carol Stanley

Natural History

Lorikeets are generally active, strikingly colored birds of small to medium size. With 53 species,
Loriinae is a subfamily of Psittacine birds and are part of the family Psittaculidae that also includes
budgerigars and fig parrots. Lories and lorikeets are widely distributed in the Southeast Asian
islands and Australia. Their habitats include subtropical, tropical rainforest, woodland, coastal
bush, and mountainous areas. Care should be taken for those from cooler, mountainous elevations
as they have a difficult time with higher temperatures.
The name “Lory” is generally attributable to those birds with shorter, blunt tails. Lorikeet refers
to those with long tails but is used to describe both tail types. Both names are used for all lories. A
lack of sexual dimorphism in most lorikeets makes sexing reliant on DNA from blood, feather, or
eggshell samples, or surgical sexing.
The structure of their brush‐tipped tongues makes them and their diet unique among parrots.
The tongue consists of papillae, hair‐like projections that are used to eat soft fruit, pollen, and nec-
tar in the wild. Their method of eating makes them natural pollinators. The occasional insect or
two may also be consumed. Lacking a gizzard, lorikeets require a soft diet.
Lories in captivity are ready breeders when appropriate diet, housing, a clean nest box, and
breeding age have been achieved. Lories will nest in a cockatiel box, but a 24‐in. tall × 8 × 10 in.
(61 × 20.3 × 25.4 cm) grandfather nest box works well (Figure 40.1). Substrate can be dust‐free
aspen or pine shavings, or equine bedding pellets. Unlike some parrots that only use the nest box
during breeding season, lories will use a nest box as sleeping quarters throughout the year. Check
the nest box periodically and keep the substrate changed and clean.
Altricial lory babies are totally dependent on their parents for food and warmth. Parents feed by
regurgitating what they have eaten into the chick’s mouth. Parents keep the food mixture off the
feathers by cleaning the chick with their tongues. As the chicks get older, they will clean each other
and keep their feathers in good condition.
Incubation of the 1–3 eggs is started when the first egg is laid and lasts 22–27 days, depending
on species. Eggs are laid every other day. Candling of the egg in a dark area can show signs of
fertility at approximately 5 days (see Chapter 3). Both males and females incubate the eggs in
some species.

Hand-Rearing Birds, Second Edition. Edited by Rebecca S. Duerr and Laurie J. Gage.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.