Breeding Small Lorikeets (1985)

from Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. About 20 of the 50 species are available, regularly or occasionally, to aviculturists. In this paper I shall describe the four species of small lorikeets being bred by my husband and me. I strongly recommend the small lorikeets. They have several important advantages over the larger ones: they have pleasant voices, most are not destructive and all will breed in quite small enclosures. They are not aggressive towards their owner when breeding - and anyone who has been attacked by one of the larger lories will consider this point to be quite important! The only one of the four species to be discussed which is readily available is Goldie's lorikeet (Trichoglossus goldiei) from New Guinea. It was almost unknown in aviculture until 1977 and has since proved so free breeding that it will almost certainly be the first lorikeet to become totally domesticated. It adapts well to captivity and is not easily stressed. SEXING. The only disadvantage of this species is that it is difficult to sex. A number of theories have been put forward regarding sexing by plumage coloration - but none has proved to be consistently correct. In none of the species described here is the display as ritualized as in the larger lories; it is only marginally more pronounced in the male. Many lorkieets are easier to sex at about the time they leave the nest, especially if the siblings are male and female. It is then evident in Goldie's lorikeet that the young male has the facial area more brightly coloured. Immature birds are much duller than adults: the crown is dark bluish, the scarlet on the forehead is replaced by a dull plum colour, also on the cheeks, which are indistinctly streaked with black. The streaking in all areas of the plumage is less distinct than in the adult. Another difference is the colour of the cere, which is lighter. DIET: In captivity many Goldie's will take a variety of foods, but individuals differ. Of my two breeding pairs, one exists on a nectar mixture, with a small amount of fruit (apple, pear) and spray millet. The second pair, consisting of a hand-reared female (daughter of the first pair) and a wildcaught male, have a liking for soaked sunflower seed; the quantity offered is limited to about 30 g. daily. Sweet corn is offered to pairs with young. Soaked sunflower seed is the principal rearing food of one very successful breeding pair of Goldie's lorikeets known to me. MEYER'S LORIKEET (Trichoglossus flauouiridis meyeri). This species, from Celelses (Sularveri), Indonesia, is occasionally available. Less strikingly marked than Goldie's, it is nevertheless a very pleasing little bird. It was first exported commercially in 1973. We have bred it consistently since 1976. SEXING. Sexual dimorphism is not pronounced but, on close examination, there are sufficient differences to be able to sex them with a degree of accuracy. Generally speaking the male differs from the female in the following respects: his yellow cheek patches are a denser, more solid yellow; the forehead is yellow or yellowish (not green or brownish as in some females); his upper mandible is broader. The female has a narrower upper mandible and the head looks finer with less rise over the eye. Both sexes display and dilate the pupil when excited, though males warble more. The plumage of young in nestfeather can be misleading; coloration varies considerably. Young males show varying degrees of yellow on the forehead, and some have none at all. Recently a young bird fledged in full adult male plumage. Usually immature birds are much duller and have yellow flecks on the mantle. The beak is brownish, not orange as in the adult. DIET. The diet and preferences of· this lorikeet are similar to those of Goldie's, i.e., some birds will eat soaked sunflower, sweet corn and millet spray, while others exist principally on nectar. IRIS LORIKEET (Trichoglossus iris) from Timor, Indonesia, is not common in aviculture. Of all the Trichoglossus species, this is my favourite. In personality it is much more boisterous than Goldie's and Meyer's, which are quiet and gentle. Unlike the former two, it is destructive to woodwork and to growing vegetation. Its beak is larger and stronger. Twigs for gnawing should be provided or overgrown beaks could result. I believe that the diet of this species in the wild is varied and includes more seed than that of most lorikeets. SEXING. The difference in the sexes is not evident to the casual observer but close examination reveals two features which are significant. The male's violet ear coverts are more extensive, extending downwards; his breast barring is more pronounced.