Note that Red-collared Lorikeets (formerly race "rubritorquis" of the Rainbow Lorikeet) are now considered to be a separate species.

Compared to Red-collared Lorikeets , Rainbow Lorikeets have a greenish-yellow nape of the neck and more yellow on the sides of the chest.

Rainbow Lorikeets are big lorikeets. Their plumage is very colourful. The head is scalloped blue, the nape of the neck is greenish-yellow, while the breast is scalloped red with yellow. The belly is dark-blue, while the vent is scalloped green and yellow and the undertail is yellow. The back (mantle, upperwings, tail) is green. The underwings have bright-red coverts and a black-yellow-black stripe pattern on the flight feathers. The bill is bright-red, the irises are orange and the legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have duller colours than adults and a more brownish bill.

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Rainbow Lorikeet is available HERE . Apart from parts of the Australian continent, the range of Rainbow Lorikeets encompasses the islands of far south-eastern Asia, extending from eastern Indonesia and Timor Leste eastwards, including the Malaku Islands, West Papua, Papua and Papua New Guinea, and further to the Solomon Islands, Vanutu and New Caledonia. There are four races of Rainbow Lorikeets in Australia. They are found in a broad coastal strip along the East coast of Australia, extending well into the Great Dividing Range. Their range extends from Cape York peninsula in the North to the South coast, as far West as the Eyre Peninsula, SA. Nominate race "moluccanus" populates an area from just to the South of Cairns, QLD, to about Warrnambool, VIC. Westward of Warrnambool, VIC, race "eyrei" populates the near-coastal fringe. From about Cairns, QLD, northward, to the tip of Cape York peninsula and the southern-most islands along Torres Strait, race "septentrionalis" is found. The range of race "caeruleiceps" extends farther northward from there on, towards PNG. Rainbow Lorikeets are extending their range further inland from the (near-)coastal areas, making use of nectar on offer in gardens and parks of towns. Outside human settlements they are not found anywhere in the semi-arid or arid interior of the continent, unless in-transit from town to town. There is now also a stable introduced population of Rainbow Lorikeets in the Perth hills in WA. Rainbow Lorikeets can be found in various types of forest, where flowers and/or fruit are available. They adapt very well to the presence of humans and are found in urban parks and gardens. Where to look? How to find this species? Finding Rainbow Lorikeets is usually quite easy. They can often be found in urban parks and gardens, feeding on nectar in flowering trees. Hundreds of birds can be observed, if one knows where they roost (which they often do in urban environments. A flock of Rainbow Lorikeets settling in for the night can be an impressive sight (and sound spectacle...).