Facts about rainbow lorikeet
Rainbow lorikeets
Legal status
The rainbow lorikeet is an Unwanted Organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993. Birds may still be kept as pets in secure aviaries and cages but it is illegal to release a rainbow lorikeet into the wild. People releasing them into the wild may face heavy penalties.
How did they arrive in New Zealand?
Rainbow lorikeets were introduced to New Zealand from Australia as cage birds. They are legally kept as pets in cages and aviaries throughout the country.
How did they get established?
Significant numbers of captive-reared birds were illegally and deliberately released in the Auckland area in the 1990s and had started breeding in the wild. By 1999 a feral population of 150-200 birds had established in the Auckland region, proving that they can survive and adapt to the New Zealand environment.
Species information
Native to some parts of Australia, this brightly coloured gregarious parrot feeds primarily on pollen, nectar and fruits, but will also feed on seeds. It is almost always seen in pairs or in flocks. Like most parrots they nest in hollow limbs or trunks of dead or living trees.
They are prolific breeders, with pairs known to rear as many as three successive broods in a single season thus enabling the population to increase rapidly.
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