Rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus), also known in daily jargon as “Loris”, are parrot species that reside in Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. They have a very colorful appearance and can be found both in the wild and as pets.
Rainbow lorikeets that live in the wild have a specific diet of nectar and pollen from native flowers such as bottlebrush and grevilleas (their favorite food), but they also eat sap, fruit, and some seeds.
However, in your garden, they will eat most of the foods present in a normal bird feeder, including seeds, bread, nectar, and honey.
Contents
What Fruits Do Lorikeets Eat?
Lorikeets can eat fruits such as oranges, limes, grapes, bananas, apples, and pears. They also enjoy watermelon and cherries.
The fruit needs to be ripe when being eaten by lorikeets as they are otherwise too hard for the lorikeets to digest.
If feeding fruit to wild lorikeets, then it is best to serve them peeled or cut into cubes before offering them to the lorikeets.
Can Lorikeets Eat Bananas?
Yes, lorikeets can eat bananas. Bananas are often enjoyed by humans and other animals, including lorikeets.
However, bananas will give your lorikeet diarrhea if it eats too many of them too quickly – just like any human who eats excessive amounts of fruit.
The best way to offer bananas to a lorikeet is to mash them up and mix them in with other fruits.
What Do Lorikeets Eat in Winter?
During winter, rainbow lorikeets may begin to eat a variety of evergreen flowers as well as fruit. Their diet will change from one that is mainly nectar-based to one with less nectar and more fiber.
They may even forage for smaller insects during this time. This is because nectar is harder to come by during winter, and lorikeets need to adapt.
Lorikeets are somewhat more picky and sensitive compared to more widespread omnivorous parrots like the Rose-ringed parakeet of the same family of old world parrots as the lorikeets.
Can Lorikeets Eat Honey? Is it safe?
Lorikeets do not normally eat honey in the wild, but they love when available. They love honey because it is essentially the same as the nectar they normally eat from flowers, just concentrated and stored by bees.
Many people use honey to attract lorikeets and other birds to their garden, but this is not always safe for the birds.
You have to be careful with serving them honey as they may get infected by the clostridium botulinum (botulism) spores that are sometimes present in honey.
Can Lorikeets Eat Seeds?
Lorikeets are primarily nectar-feeding birds and have a unique brush-tipped tongue that helps them to extract nectar from flowers. While seeds are not a major part of their diet, some lorikeet species may consume small amounts of seeds or fruits in addition to nectar.
However, it’s important to note that a lorikeet’s diet should be primarily composed of nectar or a specialized commercial nectar substitute that is specifically formulated for lorikeets. A diet that is too high in seeds can lead to health problems such as obesity, malnutrition, and fatty liver disease.
If you’re caring for a lorikeet as a pet, it’s important to provide them with a balanced diet that is appropriate for their nutritional needs.
Can Lorikeets Eat Sunflower Seeds?
Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and proteins for humans. It seems very logical that lorikeets would enjoy eating sunflower seeds as well. However, rainbow lorikeets don’t really eat sunflower seeds in the wild.
This is because the shell of the seed is too hard for them to break down. They do not have the beak to open and chew these seeds. If a lorikeet were to try to eat sunflower seeds, it would pass right through its digestive system without being broken down at all.
Do Lorikeets Eat Bread?
No, lorikeets do not normally eat bread in the wild. Lorikeet food needs to remain moist in order to be digested properly and bread is far too dry for them to eat.
They will not find bread in the wild, and therefore not normally eat it unless it is served to them by humans.
However, it is not healthy for lorikeets to et bread.
Most types of bread contain yeast, which lorikeets do not benefit from in their diet. Even when the yeast and sugar are baked, it still remains too dry for lorikeets to consume.
Can Lorikeets Eat Tomatoes?
No, lorikeets do not normally eat tomatoes. While they look very similar to cherries, which are eaten by lorikeets, tomatoes are actually toxic for rainbow lorikeets.
Their bodies are not able to process and extract enough of the fibers in tomatoes, so they have no nutritional value for them at all.
Just like with bananas, lorikeets would experience diarrhea if they consumed large quantities of tomatoes.
Tomatoes are acidic to the lorikeet’s body as well, which can cause various health problems if eaten in excess, which is unlikely though as they do not like to eat them.
How Can I Attract Lorikeets to My Garden?
There are several ways to attract lorikeets to your garden:
1. Plant fruit and nectar-rich flowers: While lorikeets enjoy many types of fruit, their favorites include oranges, limes, grapefruit, and figs. They’re also partial to manuka flowers as well as gum blossoms.
2. Provide a source of water: If you would like to attract rainbow lorikeets, then you should have a source of fresh water readily available. They are attracted to the droplets of water that form on leaves after it rains.
3. Hang a feeder: If you want to attract lorikeets on a regular basis, then hang up a fruit-filled feeder. Be sure that the feeder has perches so they can rest while eating their meal. You can also place nectar in the water dish to encourage them to come over for both feeding opportunities. Lorikeets will even eat commercially available nectar if you’re unable to find any fruit and flowers in your garden.
Conclusion
Rainbow lorikeets eat a very diverse diet that includes pollen and nectar from flowers. They may also enjoy fruit and insects as well. However, they do not usually eat seeds or bread due to the thickness of the shells and amounts of fibers that they are not good at digesting.
Lorikeets cannot eat bananas as they will cause diarrhea and tomatoes because they are toxic to them. There are many ways to attract lorikeets to your garden, including planting fruit and nectar-rich flowers like bottlebrush and grevilleas as well as providing a source of water and hanging feeders filled with fresh fruit.
Other Aricles on Backyard Birds
Are you interested in the backyard birds found in the united states?
Then check out my other blog posts below:
- Backyard birds of Alabama
- Backyard birds of Colorado
- Backyard birds of Delaware
- Backyard birds of Georgia
- Backyard birds of Hawaii
- Backyard birds of Illinois
- Backyard birds of Iowa
- Backyard birds of Kentucky
- Backyard birds of Louisiana
- Backyard birds of Maryland
- Backyard birds of Massachusetts
- Backyard birds of Missouri
- Backyard birds of Nebraska
- Backyard birds of New York
- Backyard birds of North Carolina
- Backyard birds of Oklahoma
- Backyard birds of Rhode Island
- Backyard birds of South Carolina
- Backyard birds of Tennessee
- Backyard birds of Texas
- Backyard birds of Virginia
- Backyard birds of West Virginia
- Backyard birds of Wisconsin
- Backyard birds of Wyoming
Or in Canada:
- Backyard birds of Ontario
- Backyard birds of Prince Edward Island
- Backyard birds of Saskatchewan
- Backyard birds of Quebec
Not on the list – check out the rest of my posts on backyard birds here!
Maybe you would like to know if the Blue Jay or Cardinal dominates in the bird feeder hierarchy or how birds such as seagulls sleep at night? Or wether crows scare away other birds?
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