Birds Coo
Scientific Facts
| Common Name: | Blue-streaked Lory |
| Scientific Name: | Eos reticulata |
| Life Span: | 20 to 30 years |
| Size: | 12 inches or 31 centimeters |
| Habitat: | coconut groves, mangroves, forests, and plantations |
| Country of Origin: | Indonesia |
Overview
The Blue-streaked Lory is a cousin of the Red Lory. These birds can learn how to talk, outgoing, and talented. They are beautiful and friendly. They serve as rewarding pets for their owners. However, they demand a high and expensive type of maintenance lifestyle.
In aviculture, they are not a usual sight. They are exotic and are having a unique and detailed appearance that captivates anyone who sees them. To someone who has much patience and a lot of free time being rare and needing a good up keeping will not be a problem. Then, the owner gets a rewarding and beautiful relationship with this bird.
According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, this Blue-streaked Lory is listed as near-threatened. This is due to over-collecting for the pet industry. This bird feeds on sago palms, flowering coconut, and flowering trees. They are considered adaptable species. Sadly, they are still under the risk of habitat destruction and trapping.
Physical Description
This bird has a unique and magnificent look that would make you fall in love with it. Among all the parrots out there, this is one of the most interesting and loveliest ones. It is described to be gorgeous and eye-catching. Oftentimes, people are confused with the Red Lory because they look similar. Nonetheless, the blue-streaked lorry has an electric blue streak that sets it apart from the Red Lory.
In terms of color, Blue-streaked Lory possesses a striking red and bright plumage, while the belly and chest are slightly darker having burgundy red and light spots. The wings have prominent black patches found on the tips and center. Meanwhile, there are some light blue speckles on their neck and back. Around their eyes are a black circle having a large purplish-blue streak that is stretched toward their neck. This is the reason for their name. Again, they attract lookers.
This parrot has no sexual dimorphism. Red and black and secondary colors to this bird. Red for the bend of the wings, and the tail, while the beak is orange.
Behavior
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qMaTNKSB8o
As said earlier, these birds are intelligent, active, and love to play. They can learn how to talk and do vocalization. They tend to be possessive of their special person. Therefore, the owner should know the signs when their lorry is beaky and stop them from biting. Don’t let the bird be nippy. They become affectionate and will spend a lot of time with their owners when they become well-socialized.
These birds have funny behavior when taking a bath. They love bathing, so there should be lots of water. After bathing, they tend to rub their bodies using a eucalyptus pod. In the daytime, they get active. They are fond of playing, investigating, but they are easy to handle. Again, they are very sociable and have favorites among the members of the family. In addition, they love exploring their home and playing. They become cuddly. For first-time bird owners, these birds might not be the best choice.
Size and Sexual Dimorphism
These birds are medium in size. The adults can be as long as 12 inches. They have the physical traits of the lories and facial features of a hawk. An iconic lory mark is the long tail feathers and tongue, which has a unique brush tip. Both sexes are monomorphic. They are both identical, and only DNA can identify it.
Life Span
These birds can live for about 15 to 30 years in the wild and 28 to 32 years in captivity.
Incubation
Eggs are nested for 24 to 26 days.
Clutch Size
Their clutch size is 2 to 3 eggs.
Fledging Duration
The young leave the nesting hollow after 7 – 8 weeks, but they return to the nest for roosting in a short time. The fledglings may stay with their parents in the summertime before they move to communal roost.
Sexual Maturity
It is approximately 9 months. they don’t usually breed until 2-3 years.
Geographical Range and Natural Habitat
The native region of these parrots is in the islands of Tanimbar and Babar. These are two small islands found in the archipelago of Maluku in Indonesia. They inhabit coconut groves, mangroves, forests, and plantations. Because of their brush-tipped tongues, they are fed on nectar from fruits and flowering trees. They travel in a flock and sleep in the nest for the year. Their sound is more softly than the other parrots.
Care and Diet
Feeding this bird is challenging for the reason that they are fed on nectars from the flowering trees having bits of fruits and flowers and some insects. In captivity, owners come up with practical versions. They get high-quality liquid nectar from stores. Their diet is 50% from nectar and a half from vegetable or fruit puree or even chopped salad. Focus on the fruits having a little number of vegetables like cooked corn.
They should be fed more. they have a tendency to get gout, so they need low iron and low protein. Don’t give many green veggies like spinach, turnip tops, and chard. They contain oxalates that help the bird’s body keep iron. Too much iron bad for the lories. In addition, Vitamin C stores iron too. Therefore, citrus and oranges should be given in excessive amounts. Plenty of sprouted beans or peas should not be given in large amounts, for they contain protein.
These blue-streaked lories cannot digest seeds. They will starve with diet having seeds. Shelf pellets are harmful to them; however, recently developed pellets are used as liquid nectars alternative. In contrast, not everyone agrees about the use of pellets. Giving pellets make their droppings firmer, but liquid nectar is easier for their system. Dry nectar results in unsweet and not damped food. giving dry nectar needs much water near the birds. If you use pellets, mix it with low iron products intentionally made for your lories. Experts give liquid nectar, but they encourage the growth of bacteria. Therefore, change your nectar bottles often every four hours in the daytime of hot weather and twice a day. Remember not to give chocolate, avocado, and honey. You can give vitamin supplements or give a mix of mashed veggies or fruits.
Speech and Sounds
Keeping a lory comes with potential noise. Compared to cockatoos, lories are not noisy and repetitive, but they could be loud still. Their voice is softer except when they get bored or alarmed. They do natural calls in high pitch. The range of their voices is prolonged, piercing whistle, loud, and metallic going to soft and high pitched chattering and warbles. These could be very piercing and uncomfortable. For that reason, living in an apartment with lories is not ideal.
Housing
Set up a cage for your Lory that is easy to clean for these birds with feces that can be loose and squirtable, sweet, sticky, and odorous. You can use clear acrylic. Put them on the sides and the back of the cages. Make a long cage instead of a tall one. It is recommended that the cage be hung over a concrete floor or tile. The minimum size of their cage would be 24” w x 24”d x 24”h and not having over ¾ inch of bar spacing. They do better with cages having more rooms. These birds tend to be beaky and nippy, so there should be training on setting them up by a hand or perch. Include a play gym separated from their cage to avoid your bird from being cage or territorial. Give lots of toys and chew objects to boost energy. Putting a small box for sleeping is good for your lory.
Reproduction
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8EC8NHYDCE
The Blue streaked Lory makes 2 or 3 eggs that are incubated for 24 to 26 days. Their chicks leave their nests after almost 8 weeks. After developing their feathers, they go back to their nest to get some rest. The young ones stay with their family during the whole summer and participate in the dormitories and go with the learning.
Nesting
The dimensions can be average and typical depending on the bird and owner’s choice. The parent bird’s choice is affected by the type and size of their nest box where their eggs will be hatched and reared. You can put various types of sizes of nest boxes and let the parent birds choose. After choosing, offer it to them. Clean it from parasites, mites, or pathogens.
Nest boxes are cheap, easy to replace, and clean once they get damaged or soiled. Keep your nest box in a cage the whole year for the birds will roost there even when it is not breeding season. For timber nest boxes, there should be a climbing structure that is attached inside. It should be below the hole of the entrance. The nests and logs need an opening having 50 to 80 mm in diameter and 100 mm from the top. Enough hole entrance gives your bird security as well as the confidence to begin and raise their young.
Proposed Conservation Actions
1. There should be regular monitoring of certain areas in the whole range to identify the trend of the population.
2. There should be an investigation of the degree of capture and make the right measures like campaigns.
3. There should be the protection of the important forests in all islands where this species is distributed.
Status in the Wild
Blue streaked lories are highly endangered in their natural habitat, and their number is decreasing as caused by deforestation and trapping. They are then listed as CITES 1. For this reason, they are not shipped to the U. S.
There being affectionate can make them go extinct. Adult lories are caught and sold for illegal trade. The chicks are taken away from their nests. These birds should stay in their natural habitat. If they cannot put back to their native habitat, they should be at least under breeding programs to make sure their species survive.
Common Health Problems
1. Salmonella. Among feeder birds, this is the most common disease. this disease is led by bacteria and causes infection in the intestines. Symptoms include ruffled feathers, diarrhea, and lethargy. Birds are having these symptoms die in 1-3 days. This disease spreads quickly, especially in crowded stations or when they eat contaminated food from feces of sick birds. Salmonella is transferred to handlers of dead or sick birds. Therefore, you should wear gloves and wash your hands properly.
2. Trichomoniasis. It is due to protozoa. It affects lots of bird species. Birds get sores in the mouth or in the throat and could not swallow. It is spread when other birds eat contaminated foods.
3. Aspergillosis. This is a fungal infection due to a fungus found in wet or damp mixtures of seeds or in nesting materials and even landfills. Spores which enters the lungs and the air sacs through inhaling lead to bronchitis and pneumonia. The sick ones go through difficulty in breathing, diarrhea, and weakness.
4. Avian pox. This viral disease leads to a lesion on the legs, eyelids, feet, in the mouth, and around the beak. The worst is death when lots of sores cover their eyes from finding their food. mosquitoes are the main reason for the spread.
5. Mites and Lice. These lice and mites live on the feathers and skin and suck blood. It can lead to anemia and even death among the young birds. Infested nest makes the parents leave their eggs or young.
6. Lyme Disease. ticks attach themselves to the bird’s skin around their eyes that makes it hard for them to find their food. birds can transfer the tick and Lyme disease.
Prevention
1. Clean their feeders frequently. Use bleach and warm water. put the feeder in that solution for some minutes. Rinse it and air dry.
2. When some food is uneaten, try giving less food and change the food according to what the bird likes.
3. Add more feeders to lessen congestion and spread of disease.
4. Keep the seeds in tightly seeds containers for spoilage prevention.
5. Don’t throw food on the ground, so bacteria or mold does not grow.
6. If there are dead birds, stop feeding for some weeks. Then clean the feeders well and remove it. Wear gloves when cleaning and removing. Let the feeders be completely dry before putting seeds.
7. Vacuum and wipe up the mites. Use bleach and detergent to clean the area. Use double-sided tapes on the inside window to prevent the mites from getting inside.
Fun Facts
- They have specialized tongues intended for eating nectars. The papillae or the tiny hair-like structure lines the tongues end like a letter U. when the tongue is extended while eating, this structure stands on a line like a brush. It lets the nectar and pollen soaked up easily. Thus, they are called the brush-tongued parrots.
- About 70% of their day time is spent on feeding.
- They travel daily over 30 miles to find food.
- Some feed on 650 flowers every day.
- They are noisy and active constantly.
- They feed in large groups or in the company of other birds or parrots.
- They have daily flight paths that are connected to the feeding sites.
- They travel long distances to find the best nesting sites. The nests usually have layers of wood dust on the bottom found on tree cavity that is 24 meters above the ground.
Availability: Where to Get One?
Blue-streaked Lory can be purchased from your pet stores, or you can surf online and check some online sites selling these birds.
How to Care
Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFgwzmwTsvg
- Cage care and accessories. Their cage should be large, having lots of toys.
- The size should be 3m x 1m x 2 m or 9ft x 3ft x 6 ft. put the cage in an area near an easy and clean surface. Put fresh branches for chewing.
- Temperature. Don’t expose them to a temperature that is below 10 degrees Celsius.
- Behavior. They are noisy but very friendly, playful and affectionate. They are shy but adapt to captivity.
- Diet. they are fed on fruits and nectars. You can also give pollens, flakes and more.
- Health. Give them a low intake of iron. Clean their cages and feeders as often as possible.
- They grow up to 31 centimeters long.
- They use their tongues to eat nectar from the flowers. They cause damage to crops, so they are very unpopular with farmers.
- When breeding, they lay 2 to3 eggs in a hollow tree.
- They live in groups. They live up to thirty years.
- They are found on the Tanimbar Islands and Babar in Indonesia.
- They are nearly threatened due to habitat loss and poaching for the trade of pets.
FAQ Section
What trees do lorikeets like?
They like trees, namely Bangalow palms, lillipillis, and quandongs.
How long do lorikeets live for?
These birds can live for about 15 to 30 years in the wild and 28 to 32 years in captivity
How do you tell the difference between a female and a male lorikeet?
It is hard to differentiate males from females as they have identical colors and feathers. Only the use of DNA can tell.
Are lorikeets aggressive?
They are amazing and entertaining and full of character. They become stubborn and aggressive sometimes.
Are lorikeets cuddly?
Yes, they are. They are very friendly, and cuddly making them great pets.
Can lorikeets eat a banana?
Yes, they do. They are fed on various fruits like grapes, citrus, apple melon, lychee, mango, stone fruit, and some veggies. Never give salty, fatty, and processed foods.
Can lorikeets eat eggs?
There are risks of bacterial contamination from eggs or egg powders, so better not give eggs.
Is it OK to feed lorikeets bread?
No, it isn’t. don’t give honey and bread as it may harm your bird.
Do lorikeets eat sunflower seeds?
Don’t give dry seeds as part of their diet. there should be a balanced diet like fruits, veggies, dry and ripe seeds, and more.
Can lorikeets eat peanut butter?
Although creamy or crunchy peanut butter blends are attractive to them, Peanut butter is not recommended.
How do you mix a wet lorikeet mix?
Mix 4 cups of water, a tablespoon of honey, 2 cups of baby cereal with high-protein, a half teaspoon of calcium carbonate, half tablespoon of multivitamin powder, and a half cup of powdered skimmed milk into a watery mix. Pour this mixture into an ice cube tray then put it in the fridge.
Where do lorikeets sleep?
They hide and camouflaged behind foliage or dense brush.
Can lorikeets eat pasta?
Yes, they can. They eat beans, apples, carrots, berries, mango, grapes, pasta, rice, parsley, spinach, orange, sweet corn, strawberries, and more.
Can lorikeets eat rice?
Yes, they can.
How do you take care of a lorikeet?
In the wild, they are fed on nectar, as well as fruits and pollens. They need a mixture of veggies, fruits, and nectar.
Are lorikeets good pets?
Definitely, they are friendly, intelligent, and active. They are playful too.
Do lorikeets sleep?
Yes, they do. They have a regular schedule of sleep.
Why do lorikeets puff up?
If you notice your parrot puffing up, it could mean that it is cold and needs to warm up, or it feels warm and needs to feel cooler.
How do I know if my parrot is happy?
Happy birds show flat crest or a little raised. When you hear hissing and crouching, that means he is afraid and angry, a raised crest shows excitement, and it is happy to see you.
How do you know if a bird is in pain?
There are five signs that the birds are feeling sick or in pain.
These are favoring Certain Body Parts, irritability, loss of appetite, lethargy, and squinting.
Can lorikeets lay eggs without a male?
No. they need males to lay eggs.
Why is my parrot bobbing his head?
Head Bobbing means your birds want to go somewhere or wanting to bond with you.
Do birds feel pain?
Yes, they do. They feel pain, experience pain, and even distress like humans.
