Feeding the Red Lorrikets Outside of Melbourne

Birdlife Australia has recently released the results from its annual backyard birds survey and the results are a bit scary. The most frequently seen bird in people's backyards was the Rainbow Lorikeet in both Australia and in Western Australia. The survey was completed by over 42,000 nature loving Australians between 19-25 October 2015 and recorded more than 1,000,000 individual birds.

Common name	WA Bird Count	Common name	National Bird Count
Rainbow Lorikeet	5,860	Rainbow Lorikeet	99,602
Galah	4,815	Noisy Miner	49,991
New Holland Honeyeater	4,114	Australian Magpie	43,022
Australian Raven	4,012	Sulphur-crested Cockatoo	34,035
Australian Magpie	3,960	House Sparrow	27,746
Red Wattlebird	3,655	Galah	27,598
Silver Gull	3,631	Red Wattlebird	22,649
Australian Ringneck	3,114	Common Myna	21,579
Pacific Black Duck	2,871	Welcome Swallow	21,247
Australian White Ibis	2,310	Silver Gull	20,756

In the south-west of WA the Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) is a feral species. The Department of Parks and Wildlife has these birds listed as 'acclimatised fauna' which recognises that Rainbow Lorikeets are native birds living in the wild as a result of being released, escaping or being the off-spring of released or escaped birds. The acclimatised fauna notice also states that Rainbow Lorikeets can be shot on private lands in the south-west land division without the need for a damage licence from DPaW.

The Department of Agriculture and Food has declared Rainbow Lorikeets a 'declared pest' in southern parts of Western Australia. Had relevant government agencies moved quickly to eradicate this species when they were few in number in the late 1960s, then we would not have had the current problem, as it damages fruit (e.g. table grapes), fouls outdoor areas and provides competition to native species in foraging and nesting locations.

This beautifully coloured bird is an environmental menace as it bullies native birds out of their nesting sites and devastates local fruit farms. Although unconfirmed, it is thought that a few birds were released in 1968 and their numbers have increased annually. Not only are they a spectacularly coloured bird which is readily recognised, but their loud screeching calls advertise their presence in a tree. The Rainbow Lorikeet is regularly seen in open woodlands, often near water, and they seem to have a preference for lemon-scented gum, coral tree, fig, date palm, cotton palm and Norfolk Island pine.

The Department of Agriculture and Food has indicated that the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo is the 3^rd and the Rainbow Lorikeet the 6^th highest priority pest species in WA. The legal status of Rainbow Lorikeets means that government, private landholders including fruit growers and local government councils need to regularly reduce their numbers. Management is difficult and costly so co-operative arrangements between local government authorities and neighbouring private landholders are likely to be much more effective, than the 'going it alone' approach.

For fruit growers, enclosing the entire crop under netting is an effective long-term and humane method, but it has a high initial capital outlay. Using noise to scare birds from a foraging or roosting site can also be effective, but is generally not an alternative in public locations. Shooting appears to be one of the most effective strategies to reducing Rainbow Lorikeet numbers. When done by competent individuals this method is humane and an effective method when used intensively to reduce numbers. Safety is an important consideration, and arrangements with the local police and local government councils are strongly recommended.

If you have Rainbow Lorikeets frequenting your area or know of areas where they roost, please email or comment below. We are collating a list of known priority areas and will approach the relevant agencies to implement appropriate control measures. Rainbow Lorikeets are a menace to native hollow nesting birds and we can all play a part in controlling this pest species.

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Source: https://terrestrialecosystems.com/rainbow-lorikeets-abundant-menace/

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