Pastel on Pastel Mat paper

 Original Image size 60 X 22cm

Rainbow lorikeets are a type of parrot found in northern and eastern Australia, the Solomon Islands, and parts of Southeast Asia. Unknown as a resident of our Grampians National Park region 40 years ago, the rainbow lorikeet has now become common as it continues to increase and expand its range. It is a resilient and somewhat loud and bossy bird which is now with us year-round, even when the eucalypts are not flowering. Primarily pollen and nectar feeders (with their wonderfully brush-equipped tongue) their tastes also run to fruit, flowers, plant buds, insects and various seeds. Their boisterous and blustering behaviour means they often out compete shyer bird species, taking over food sources as well as nest hollows.

In recent years rainbow lorikeets have been showing up in the area near Perth, which is in Western Australia. Many believe that these birds escaped from aviaries in the 1960s and are now occurring in areas to which they are not native. Rainbow lorikeets are pushing out other native birds, like the swift parrot, for nesting resources. They have been declared a major pest in the Perth area. Even though they cause some problems, they are still amazingly beautiful birds and I love to watch them as they scramble through the foliage of the flowering eucalypts next to my studio.