Class: Aves
Diet: Herbivore
Lifespan: Up to 10 years
Weight: Up to 130g
Height: Up to 30cm
Reproduction: Egg-laying
Status: Least concern
All six native Australian lorikeet species are brightly coloured and highly intelligent. Although each species varies in shades of colour and markings, most are outgoing, chatty and dexterous in nature. Strong feet and legs coupled with tapered wings and pointed tails allow them to fly easily and display great agility.
Lorikeets are one of the few parrots that eat mainly nectar and pollen and therefore have a specialised hair-tipped tongue for feeding. They can feed from the flowers of about 5,000 species of plants, including eucalyptus and grevillea.
The rainbow lorikeet was the first Australian bird ever to be illustrated in colour in 1774.