Rainbow lorikeet found near Thames
Date: 05 December 2008
A rainbow lorikeet was found in Parawai and handed in to the Thames Department of Conservation (DOC) office. The parrot, likely to have been pet, is a native to Australia and feeds primarily on pollen, nectar and fruits. Rainbow lorikeets look very similar to the more common eastern rosella, but have the distinguishing feature of a blue head.
Rainbow lorikeets pose a threat to our native honey eaters the tui, bellbird and hihi (stitchbird) through direct competition for food sources. While our native will generally defend these resources in singles or in pairs, lorikeets will descend in flocks and are aggressive to the native species. Rainbow lorikeets have been declared an 'Unwanted Organism' under the Biosecurity Act 1993. Birds may still be kept as pets in secure aviaries, but there heavy penalties may result if released into the wild.
Rainbow lorikeet
Significant numbers of captive breed birds have been deliberately released on the North Shore in Auckland, where they have been recorded in flocks of up to 50. Considerable resources and effort has been made by DOC, the Auckland Regional Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to controlling them.
"Many of our native species are doing well on predator the predator free islands in the Hauraki Gulf, as well as mainland areas where predator control is undertaken. That could change because all of the islands and the Coromandel Peninsula are within flying distance of the rainbow lorikeets release site," says Biodiversity Assets Ranger, Wendy Davies. "They could also have a significant economic effect for orchardists."
If you see these birds flying wild in the Coromandel contact the Hauraki Area office in Thames.