Loriini is a

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

of small to medium-sized arboreal

parrot Parrots (Psittaciformes), also known as psittacines (), are birds with a strong curved beak, upright stance, and clawed feet. They are classified in four families that contain roughly 410 species in 101 genus (biology), genera, found mostly in ...

s characterized by their specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar of various blossoms and soft fruits, preferably berries. The species form a

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

group within the parrot family

Psittaculidae Psittaculidae is a family of parrots, commonly known as Old World parrots, though this term is a misnomer, as not all its members occur in the Old World and Psittacinae also occurs in the Old World. It consists of six subfamilies: Psittricha ...

. The group consists of the lories and lorikeets. Traditionally, they were considered a separate subfamily (Loriinae) from the other subfamily ( Psittacinae) based on the specialized characteristics, but recent molecular and morphological studies show that the group is positioned in the middle of various other groups. They are widely distributed throughout the Australasian region, including south-eastern Asia,

Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Timor Leste Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

and Australia, and the majority have very brightly coloured plumage.

Etymology

The word "lory" comes from the Malay ''lūri'', a name used for a number of species of colourful parrots. The name was used by the Dutch writer Johan Nieuhof in 1682 in a book describing his travels in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in Eastern world, the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainl ...

. The spelling "laurey" was used by English naturalist Eleazar Albin in 1731 for a species of parrot from Brazil, and then in 1751 the English naturalist George Edwards used the spelling "lory" when introducing names for five species of parrot from the East Indies in the fourth volume of his ''A Natural History of Uncommon Birds''. Edwards credited Nieuhof for the name. The choice of the terms "lory" and "lorikeet" is subjective, like the use of "

" and " parakeet". Species with longer tapering tails are generally referred to as "lorikeets", while species with short blunt tails are generally referred to as "lories".

Taxonomy

Traditionally, lories and lorikeets have either been classified as the subfamily, Loriinae, or as a family on their own, Loriidae, but they are currently classified as a

. Neither traditional view is confirmed by molecular studies. Those studies show that the lories and lorikeets form a single group, closely related to the budgerigar and the fig parrots ('' Cyclopsitta'' and '' Psittaculirostris''). A comprehensive

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study of the Loriini published in 2020 led to major changes in the generic boundaries. The reorganisation involved the resurrection of four genera: '' Charminetta'', ''

Hypocharmosyna ''Hypocharmosyna'' is a genus of parrots in the family Psittaculidae that are endemic to New Guinea, the Maluku Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago. Taxonomy The genus ''Hypocharmosyna'' was introduced in 1891 by the Italian zoologist Tommaso ...

'', '' Charmosynopsis'' and '' Glossoptilus'', as well as the erection of three entirely new genera: '' Synorhacma'', '' Charmosynoides'' and '' Saudareos''. One genus disappeared, as the collared lory, which had previously been placed in the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus ''Phigys'', was found to be embedded in the genus '' Vini''. The extinct New Caledonian lorikeet, although not sampled, was assumed to be a member of the genus ''Vini'' on plumage and biogeographic grounds. The tribe Loriini now contains 61 species divided into 19 genera.

Genera

Morphology

Lories and lorikeets have specialized brush-tipped tongues for feeding on nectar and soft fruits. They can feed from the flowers of about 5,000 species of plants and use their specialized tongues to take the nectar. The tip of their tongues have tufts of papillae (extremely fine hairs), which collect nectar and pollen. The multi-coloured

rainbow lorikeet The rainbow lorikeet (''Trichoglossus moluccanus'') is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Six ...

was one of the species of parrots appearing in the first edition of ''The Parrots of the World'' and also in

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist who published monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould (illustrator), Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, includ ...

's lithographs of the Birds of Australia.

Diet

In the wild, rainbow lorikeets feed mainly on pollen and nectar, and possess a tongue adapted especially for their particular diet. Many fruit orchard owners consider them a pest, as they often fly in groups and strip trees containing fresh fruit. They are also frequent visitors at bird feeders that supply lorikeet-friendly treats, such as store-bought nectar, sunflower seeds, and fruits such as apples, grapes and pears. Occasionally they have been observed feeding on meat.

Conservation

The ultramarine lorikeet is endangered. It is now one of the 50 rarest birds in the world. The blue lorikeet is classified as vulnerable. The introduction of European rats to the small island habitats of these birds is a major cause of their endangerment.Steadman D, (2006). ''Extinction and Biogeography in Tropical Pacific Birds'', University of Chicago Press. Various conservation efforts have been made to relocate some of these birds to locations free of predation and habitat destruction.

In literature

A "Lory" famously appears in Chapter III of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet, mathematician, photographer and reluctant Anglicanism, Anglican deacon. His most notable works are ''Alice ...

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

. Alice argues with the Lory about its age.

Gallery

File:BlackWingedLorikeet.jpg, Black-winged lory Black lory (Chalcopsitta atra), Gembira Loka Zoo, Yogyakarta 2015-03-15 03.jpg, Black lories File:RainbowLorikeetOregonZoo.jpg, Green-naped lorikeet (subspecies of

) File:Scalybreastedlorikeet.jpg, Scaly-breasted lorikeet File:Trichoglossus euteles -Indianapolis Zoo -6.jpg, Olive-headed lorikeet File:Chalcopsitta sintillata -Fuengirola Zoo-8-1c.jpg, Yellow-streaked lory File:Musk Lorikeet 2.jpg, Musk lorikeet File:Dusky lory (Pseudeos fuscata), Gembira Loka Zoo, Yogyakarta, 2015-03-15 03.jpg, Dusky lory File:BlueStreakedLory.jpg, Blue-streaked lory File:Charmosyna josefinae.jpg, Josephine's lorikeet File:Stellas Lory 2.jpg, Papuan lorikeet File:Aus Rainbow Lorikeet cropped.jpg, Australian rainbow lorikeet (subspecies of

) File:Blackcappedlorikeet.jpg, Black-capped lory at the Cincinnati Zoo File:Lorius_garrulus-20070107.jpg, Chattering lory at Jurong Bird Park

References

External links

*ARKive
images and movies of the blue lorikeet/tahitian lory ''(Vini peruviana)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lories And Lorikeets * Taxa named by Prideaux John Selby