Lories and Lorikeets – why do they differ so from other parrots?

Posted on: Saturday, May 31st, 2008 in: Bird Species Profiles

Overview
The brilliantly colored lories and lorikeets are quite definitely parrots, and yet they depart radically from typical parrot behavior and breeding biology, and in their internal anatomy. As you will see, a good deal of this may be explained by the nature of their diets.
Physical Description
The 56 species of lories and lorikeets are among the [...]

Parrots, Parakeets, Macaws, Cockatoos, Lories & Lorikeets – Interesting Facts and Figures – Part Two

Posted on: Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 in: Bird Species Profiles

Click here to view the first part of this article.
Nesting
Most parrots lay their eggs within holes in trees, using little if any nesting material.
Lovebirds build true nests. Females wedge dried grasses and other nesting material into the feathers of their rumps for transport to the nest site.
Monk parrots build huge, communal stick nests. Escaped pets [...]

Parrots, Parakeets, Macaws, Cockatoos, Lories & Lorikeets – Interesting Facts and Figures – Part One

Posted on: Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 in: Bird Species Profiles

Introduction
Parrots and their relatives have such a long history as pets (the first written record of a parrot in captivity is that of a plum-headed parakeet in Greece in 400 BC) that it is easy to forget how spectacularly adapted they are for life in the wild. Today I would like to pass along some [...]