Hello Desley and other lorikeet watchers,
Others are sure to know more about this but I have more than a couple of
times seen captive Rainbow Lorikeets digging tunnels in the earthen floors
of aviaries. At least in one case that I can remember there were apparently
sufficient nest logs and boxes in the aviary so I am a little doubtful that
the lorikeets only do it because there is a shortage of natural hollows in
the wild.
I had always wondered whether it was a case of aviary bred rainbows going a
bit bonkers but your observations of wild rainbows doing it suggets that it
might be a natural behaviour.
Someone with HANZAB might care to take a quick look to see if the behaviour
is mentioned there.
Cheers
Mick Todd
Griffith, NSW
At 05:19 AM 29/09/02 +0000, desley williams wrote:
Hello Birding-Aus members From Desley Williams, I am still at the
Sunshine Coast.
Does anyone have any records or information on R. Lorikeets
roosing/nesting in tunnels under trees?
Last night whilst my brother Norris and I were walking our dogs
(Dalmation Pongo and Daschund Larry) along the Maroochy River path (corner
Minti and Bradman Ave.), Pongo began digging into a burrow under the base
of a eucalypt when a Lorikeet called out. We restrained the anxious dogs
and checked the site by torch light, finding Rainbow Lorikeet feathers
and the sounds of 1-2 birds at the end of the tunnel.
The dogs then sniffed into tunnels under two other nearby eucalpyts, as
there were no bird calls we presume these sites were
vacant. Norris had previously informed me about Pongo flushing
Lorikeets out from under trees during my last visit in April, on one
occasion, his head came out of the tunnel with a Lorikeet latched onto his
nose!!!. Norris thought the birds might be breeding under the trees
because they were there during daylight hours. During this visit I could
not find any evidence of Lorikeets under trees, hundreds were roosting in
the tree branches.
Today I checked the three tunnels: the first had lorikeet feathers and a
tunnel longer than my arm. I did not want to use a stick for fear of
hurting any chicks, if present. The 2nd and 3rd trees had very long
tunnels, no feathers found, I could find the end of the tunnel with a
stick. I ask the following questions:
1. Why would Lorikeets roost under the trees when there are lots of
branches above.
2. Do they prefer the privacy and warmth of the tunnel; evenings are
still cool.
3. If nesting, is this because habitat loss has resulted in fewer
hollows; there may be a couple of hollows on nearby Chambers Island where
there is a resident population of kookaburras. If the chicks did
survive in a long tunnel (similar to a hollow log); they would have to be
able to fly when they left the tunnel because dogs like Pongo, would kill
them.
I look forward to hearing from subscribers of bird-aus with comments and
answers.
Regards Desley
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