This family of species and subspecies of parrots are perhaps my personal favourites along with the Caiques and Eclectus. They are a highly coloured and often have playful characters. Often known as the "brush tongued parrots". They are a unique specialised feeding group of bird species. Similar to parrots and parrakeets they are classified into short tailed Lories and longer tailed Lorikeets.

Lories                                                                                                                                             Are classified into 4 specie groups (chalcopsitta, Eos, Lorius, and Pseudeos)

Eos - group of bright red lories marked with blues and black. All have orange to red beaks. Orange iris and grey legs.They also have a musky smell (even the eggs).They are not regarded as difficult to breed and lay 2 eggs, they mature in 3-4 years.

This group includes the Red, Black-winged, Red & Blue, Blue-streaked, Blue-eared and Violet-necked lories.

Red Lory (Eos bornea bornea)  A lory of the Moluccan Islands of Amboina, Saparua and Indonesia. Seen in large flocks around flowering trees.There are 4 subspecies and apart from the nominate race there is the Beinstein's Red Lory (E.b.Bernsteini), Buru Red Lory ( E.b.cyanothus) and Rothschild's Red Lory (E.b. rothschildi)

Blue-streaked Lory (Eos reticulata)  A lory of the Indonesian Islands of Tanimbar, Kai and Damar. Earlier years were thought to under threat in the wild but more recently in the mid 1990's surveys have found them in reasonable numbers. In captivity they are also fairly common. 

Lorius- a group of  rounded tailed Lories with green wings. Their main body colour is red. They are a group of excellent talking birds which seem to be at home in human company. They are a group of Lories of the Solomon Islands.They mature between 3-4 years and normally lay 2 eggs. The young fledging in 11-12 weeks.

This group includes Yellow-bibbed, Purple-capped, Chattering, Yellow-backed, Black-capped, and White-naped lories.

Yellow-bibbed Lory (Lorius chlorocercus)  A lory of the Eastern Solomon Islands, where it lives in the primal rainforests and lower mountains. Sometimes serious aggresion is seen with some pairs kept in captivity.

Yellow-backed Lory (Lorius garrulus flavopalliatus)  This is the more commonly seen subspecie of the Chattering Lory (lorius garrulus garrulus)  Although the nominate race was often seen in collections during the 80's, it is now rarely seen and due to their scarcity the few remaining in collections are often crossed with Yellow- backed mates.The nominate race is also threatened in the wild.

These delightful characters as their name  suggests are popular not only for their colour but for their delight in human company and ability to mimic human speech. 

Chalcopsitta - a group of large birds with a rounded tail. There are 2 main features of this group (1) area of black naked skin around the eyes and lower mandible.(2) The feathers at the back of the head and neck appear as a spiky ruff.

This group includes the Black, Rajah, Cardinal,Yellow-streaked and the Duivenbode's Lories.

Duivenbode's  Lory (chalcopsitta duivenbodei duivenbodes) This Lory lives in north New Guinea prefers the lower altitude forest areas. Often been bred in captivity in small numbers. They normally lay 2 eggs, fledging in about 10 weeks. There are 2 subspecies known, the nominate race and the Lilac-naped Lory (c.d.syringanuchah's) 

Photos above (left to right) :  Blue-streaked, Duivenbodes, Red, Yellow-streaked and Yellow-bibbed lory's

Lorikeets

There are 7 recognised species of Lorikeets (Charmosyna, Glossopsitta, Neopsittacus, Oreopsittacus, Phigy's, Trichoglossus and Vini)

Charmosyna - a group of 14 species and 12 subspecies, this group of Lorikeets was unknown in aviculture until the late 1970's. They are small and delicate and their voices are quiet and melodic. In general they are intolerant to cold and frost.They include Red-throated, Josephine, Duchess, Meek's, Striated, Palm, Stella's, Red-flanked, Fairy, Red-chinned, Red-spotted, Blue-fronted and Wilhelmina's lorikeets.

Fairy Lorikeet (Charmosyna pulchella pulchella)  Found in New Guinea at the forest edge and mid-region of the mountains. They are dimorphic with the hen having yellow spots on either size of the rump. A second subspecie Rothchilds Fairy Lorikeet (C.p.Rothchildi) where upper breast is green.

Trichoglossus - a group of 10 species and  20 subspecies, these are small to medium sized lorikeets with long tapering tails.Commonly seen in collections. And include Scaly-breasted, Perfect, Meyer's, Goldies, Green-naped, Iris, Ornate, Mount Apo, Cherry-red and varied Lorikeets.

Scaly-breasted Lorikeet (Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus)  Fairly common over Australia from Cooktown in the north to just south of Sydney.This lorikeet is not often found in collections outside of Australia.

Perfect Lorikeet (Trichoglossus euteles) This lorikeet is found on the Islands of Sunda, Timor and Indonesia.Declining in the wild although found in collections within Europe.

Green-naped (Trichoglossus haematodus haematodus)  This is a very common Lorikeet of Western New Guinea, Ambon, Ceram, Buru and other nearby Islands. It inhabits both savannah and village gardens. It seems to havea preferrance for roosting in eucalyptus trees. Also commonly kept in captive European collections.

Swainson's Lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus)  Found in Eastern and south-eastern Australia and Tasmania. Increasing in numbers in the wild and quite common in collections outside of Australia.

Mount Apo Lorikeet (Trichoglossus johnstoniae)  This lorikeet is found in Southern Philippine and Island of Mindanao. In the wild now rare and under threat, and only rarely found in collections in the Philippines, USA and Europe.

Glossopsitta- a small group of 3 species of lorikeets (Musk, Purple-crowned, and Little lorikeet) . They are small with very fine beaks and with pointed tail feathers.

Musk Lorikeet (Glossopsitta concina) Found in Australia in Queensland, eastern New South Wales and Island of Tasmania. Safe population in Australia in the wild, but scarce elsewhere. Some are in collections in Europe where they are found to be quite hardy and good breeders.

Vini - a small group of 5 species, Blue-crowned, Kuhl's, Tahitan Blue, Stephen's and Ultramine lorikeets. These are tiny lorikeets living on the small Pacific Ocean Islands.Their characteristics are narrow elongated feathers of the crown of the head and slender beak. Because they exist in small numbers on these islands they are threatened with extinction. Very rarely seen in collections.

Tahitian Blue Lorikeet (Vini peruviana)  This small and beautiful lorikeet is distributed in some small Islands around Tahiti, although now believed to be exctinct on Tahiti itself. These are low nesting birds and the earlier introduction of rats and Harriers has resulted  in exctinction in at least 15 of the Islands the previously inhabited.

Photos above (left to right) : Fairy, Green-naped, Mount Apo, Musk, Perfect, Scaly-breasted, Swainson's and Vini lorrikeets

Lory & Lorrikeet web sites :

http://lorikai.multiply.com/

http://www.uklories.co.uk/

http://www.kcbbs.gen.nz/lori/ar/index2.html