I could watch Rainbow Lorikeets for hours, given the time. At Thala they pierce through the forest at lightening speed. Their wing beats, perfectly synchronized, can carry their irridescent colours darting through the foliage to hang upside down with cheeky confidence on the most fragile leafy stem.
They are gregarious, volitile, impulsive and screechingly bossy. All the qualities in fact of an unruly mob. The range of body language is vast and there is no mistaking the head bob or pupil dilation when an unwelcome feathered friend decides to share the same leafy limb. On the other hand there is nothing more enchanting than the whispered squeeks and tweets of a bit of shared head rubbing.
The northern tropics of Australia has an incredibly diverse bird population and the Rainbow Lorikeet is unmistakable with its bright red beak and colourful plumage. Both sexes look alike, with a blue (mauve) head and belly, green wings, tail and back, and an orange/yellow breast. They are often seen in loud and fast-moving flocks, or in communal roosts at dusk.