Rainbow Lorikeets grow to be about 30 centimeters tall and are very fast fliers. Their feathers have a range of different colors hence their name. They truly are a living rainbow with their green, blue, purple, red, orange and yellow feathers. They rest in trees in groups of hundreds and feed usually in groups of less than 20. Rainbow Lorikeets live off nectar mostly and water they find in leaves. They will fly up to 50 kilometers to find food and even develop a flight pattern that they follow everyday.
When the birds mate they will leave the group and build themselves a nest in a hole in a tree hollow. The female lorikeet will lay two white eggs which she will sit on for about 25 days with the company of the male bird. Together they will take care of the babies once they hatch until they leave the nest after about 8 weeks. Afterwards the young bird will join other unmated birds in the communal roost so that the parents can have new babies. After two years these young birds have reached sexual maturity and will in turn find a mate and have a family of their own. These birds are known to live about 20 years in the wild.
This beautifully colorful bird from the parrot family has been listed by the Australian government as an unwanted organism because of the damage it does to fruit trees. It can ruin 70 to 90 percent of fruit crops when it decides to feed on them. It is also a somewhat aggressive bird when it comes to food and will actually take over areas that had been feeding grounds for other birds. There is a penalty for letting a pet rainbow Lorikeet go free.
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