NL·0653Herbarium of the Nature Library
- Name
- Trichoglossus moluccanus
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Native to
- Eastern and south-eastern Australia; introduced to Perth and New Zealand
- Habitat
- Eucalypt woodland, Rainforest edge, Urban
On eBird ↗
Rainbow Lorikeet
Live sightings near you, the range map, bar charts of when it is seen, and Macaulay Library photos and recordings.
Rainbow lorikeet
Trichoglossus moluccanus
Also calledLoriquet arc-en-ciel (French)
A noisy, rainbow-coloured parrot with a brush-tipped tongue for lapping nectar and pollen. Common in eastern Australian cities, it is an important pollinator of eucalypts and banksias.
The rainbow lorikeet is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush, and woodland areas. Six taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species. Wikipedia
What it can do
- iBrush-tipped tongue collects nectar and pollen
- iiPollinates many eucalypts, banksias and grevilleas
- iiiForms huge, noisy communal roosts in city trees
In the field
Field marks
- aViolet-blue head
- bOrange-red breast barred with yellow
- cGreen back, wings and tail
- dDeep blue belly
- eRed bill
- Voice
- Shrill, screeching 'chee-chee' and constant chatter.
- Not to be confused with
- Red-collared lorikeet (northern Australia) has an orange collar and black belly. Scaly-breasted lorikeet is green with yellow scalloping.
- Where to see it
- Common in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast; Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
- When
- Resident
Listen
Looking for field recordings…
Life & habits
- Diet
- Nectar, pollen, fruit, flowers and some insects
- Habitat
- Woodland, forest edges, parks and gardens
- Size
- 25–30 cm; 75–160 g
- Lifespan
- Up to 20 years in captivity
Flocks swirl through the canopy screeching, following flowering trees.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Native range
Eastern and south-eastern Australia; introduced to Perth and New Zealand
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Trichoglossus moluccanus in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
Marginalia
At Currumbin on the Gold Coast, public lorikeet feeding has drawn visitors since the 1940s. In Perth, escaped birds became an invasive pest.
Curiosity
Rainbow lorikeets have been recorded catching and eating meat, which may be linked to diet shortages.
Kinship
Photographs: iNaturalist contributors under the licences shown. Records: GBIF.org. Historical plates: Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0; originals public domain). Summary text: Nature Library editors and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Medicinal and edibility notes are historical and educational, not advice. iNaturalist taxon 980095.