The parrots in the family Loriinae are known for their unusual brush-tipped tongues. These birds feed upon pollen, nectar and fruits, while inadvertently pollinating the flowers of the trees on which they feed. The family Loriinae is usually divided into two classes of birds, lories and lorikeets.
Lorikeets are more slender, with longer, tapering tails.
The curiosity and playfulness of lories, combined with their exotic colors, make them quite desirable as pets. There are many species of lories being raised commercially. A hand-fed lory or lorikeet, which has become imprinted on humans, makes the best pet. Almost all hand-fed lories can learn to talk, but the best talkers are in the Eos and Lorius genera. The smaller lorikeets may only learn to say a few words clearly, but are still as playful, inquisitive, and colorful as their larger relatives.