Abstract
ate diets, health concerns, and just about everything else one needs to know about these birds. Numerous web sites, chat groups, and mailing lists facilitate the exchange of information. If one is able to separate the reliable information from the preferred advice of wannabe experts, the information is abundant and usually free. No longer is the art of keeping lories such a hit or miss ordeal.
While the lory family is made up of ten separate genera and fifty-three species, not all are available in the United States. There is, however, a great variety of species for any lory connoisseur to select from.
Some of the most commonly seen and kept lories in the Unites States are those in the appropriately named Rainbow group, Trichog/ossus haematodus. The term "Rainbow" is a generic one and it refers to roughly twenty-three different birds. They are small and colorful lories that have adapted well to captivity and whose price does not put them out of reach for those watching their bird-buying budget. Of the various Rainbow lories, eight exist in the United States and three appear fairly often in aviculture. The nominate species, the Green-naped Lory, T. h. haematodus, is by far the most commonly seen lory in this group. It is a small lory, about ten inches long and weighing 130 to 140 grams. Its body is green and the forehead, crown and lores are blue, shaft streaked with green. The back of its head is purple; the breast is red, with the feathers clearly edged in dark blue. The collar is greenish yellow. The Green-naped lory is native to New Guinea and it is still quite plentiful there.
Another popular and commonly seen member of this family is the Swainson's or Blue-mountain Lory, T. h. mo/uccanus. Its head is dark blue to violet, shaft streaked with a lighter blue. The abdomen is dark blue
and the breast is orange and does not have the dark tipped feathers seen on the Green-naped Lory. The collar is yellow-green. Several color mutations have been documented but they are extremely rare. The Swainson's Lory is native to Australia and is often seen around parks and back yard bird feeders.
The Edward's Lory, T h. capistratus, has become more common and possibly has the nicest temperament of the entire Rainbow group. The body is green. The head is green; the forehead, crown, and chin are blue, shaft streaked with a darker blue. The breast is yellow with a bit of orange edging, the abdomen is dark green and the collar is a greenish yellow. This bird is native to the lowlands of Timar. In general, the Edward's Lory seems to be less nippy and aggressive than the Green-naped Lory when mature, making it rather desirable as a pet.
The remaining five species, including the Rosenberg's or Biak Lory (T h. rosenbercih, Blueheaded or Pale-headed Lory (T h. caeru/eiceps), and the Weber's Lory (T h. weben) appear less frequently in this country. The Weber's is the only lory of the rainbow group that is not as brilliantly colored. It is mainly green and yellow. The slightly smaller Mitchell's Lory, T h. mitchellii, has
almost completely
disappeared from
aviculture in the
United States and
all that remains
here now is a frag-
ile population.
Additionally, the
wild population in
its native home on
the islands of Bali
and Lombak
appears to have
diminished signifi-
cantly and the
remaining popula-
tion is in peril.
Forsten's Lories
(T h. forsteni)
were imported into
the U.S. periodi-
cally in the past
but have become Swainson's Lorikeet
harder to find in
recent years. Its status in the wild is believed to be declining as well. There may be a few specimens of some of the other Rainbow subspecies still in the
United States, but they are almost unheard of and, with no apparent viable population, they are rarely seen.
While not part of the group known as "Rainbow Lories," two other members of the genus Trichog/ossus have become quite popular in American aviculture. They are the Goldie's Lorikeet, Trichog/ossus goldiei, and the Iris Lorikeet, Trichog/ossus iris. Both are small, colorful birds that breed readily and adapt well to life as a pet or in the aviary.