Exhibits
Hatching A Plan
For lorikeets, mating and nesting require just as much planning as their feeding routine. Lorikeets will travel long distances in an effort to locate a suitable nesting site. They typically build their nests in tree cavities, often as high as 80 feet (25 m) above ground. Numerous tree hollows are investigated before one is chosen. To prepare the nest, they add a layer of wood dust at the bottom of the tree cavity.
The male will display courtship by arching his neck and bobbing his head, all the while emitting a low whistle. The female’s interest in mating will depend on how close she is to nesting. Once mating has occurred, the female lays a clutch, or group, of two or three white, oval-shaped eggs in the nest. The eggs are incubated by both parents for approximately 25 days before they hatch. Thought to mate for life, a pair of mating lorikeets can produce up to three clutches a season.
Both the male and female will feed the new hatchlings until they move into the communal roost. The young will leave the nest for the first time after seven to eight weeks, but may remain with their parents over the summer. Although lorikeets reach sexual maturity around nine months of age, most birds do not breed until they are two or three years old. In the wild, lorikeets have a life span of 15 to 30 years.
