Painted Lorikeets Part B: Painted Pests

Welcome back, everyone!  Last post, I introduced you to the Rainbow Lorikeet. If for some absurd reason you have forgotten what this charmer looks like, here's a reminder in "natural lighting".

DoI look mysterious?

Since my previous late-night post was a little ADD, here's the quick and dirty facts about the Rainbow Lorikeet:
__________________________________________________________

Trichoglossus="hairy tongue"

Name: Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodas)
Size: 25-30 cm (9.8-11.8 in)
Diet: fruit, nectar, blossoms, seeds, berries, orchard fruit
Habitat: all kinds of forests and woodland, farmland, mangroves

Breeding: large deep nests shaped out of hollows in trunks or major limbs. Lay 1-3 white soft-glossy eggs. Chicks are covered in yellow down until fledging when 7-8 wks old.

Distinguishing features: Their blue head is unique and helps differentiate them from other brightly coloured parrots. In flight, they have a vibrant yellow band bordered by red.
_______________________________________________________________________________

For dramatic purposes, I left out a crucial piece of "Habitat": the natural range of the Rainbow Lorikeet.  You see, here in Sydney, we only dislike Rainbow Lorikeets if they're loud, some inconvinence like bird poop or our previously mentioned raining of flowers into pools, or if you have fruit trees.  But they don't really cause many real problems.

However, Rainbow Lorikeets are supposed to be here. Their natural range is north and east Australia, starting in the northern tip of Western Australia and around down the coast about until Melbourne, in Victoria.  As you can see, that is a fairly large range, but it's still not "All of Australia" by any means.

You'll also note the small red zone I note along the Western Coast. Now, You're probably thinking "boy she was clumsy with her paintbrush. Where are these Mad Paint Skillz, like we see in that kick ass picture of the creepy lorikeet tongue?!" Don't worry, admirers, there's plenty to feast your eyes upon. And that dot is entirely intentional.

That little dot is Perth, Australia, where some charming humans released aviary Lorikeets into the "wild".

Any of you versed in animal ecology are already cringing. For the rest of my readers, this is bad. Introducing a non-native animal to a region is going to go one of two ways. The best way is for that introduction to fail. The animals die without breeding (either premature deaths or do not successfully breed) and there's no lasting impact. The other way--all too common--is flourishing success. And what have we learned so far about Lorikeets??

FLOURISH!!

So how does this success impact the invaded region? After all, aren't more animals a good thing?

NO. Ecosystems are fairly delicate constructs and species balances can be rapidly moved from "precarious" to "disaster".  There are limited resources to be shared, and invading species are usually not polite about it.  Additionally, the system of limits and controls is often not equipped to deal with a new factor. If a "prey" species is introduced without an analogue for its predator, it will run rampant.  Introduced predator species can decimate the unsuspecting prey species in its new home. There are islands of Hawaii where snakes have destroyed the native bird population. Why? The birds just didn't have an adaption for these new snakes.  It's like taking a small rural town and filling it with angry ninjas. NINJAS EVERYWHERE. There's just no way townsfolk are going to continue to thrive.

This...this is just Prize Wining County Jam. Right?

So how have Rainbow Lorikeets impacted western Australia? Well, luckily, the situation hasn't quite reached apocalyptic ninja levels.  Other species are still O.K. and habitats are being maintained. But they have successfully established themselves. They're smart, they have adaptable eating preferences, and fairly aggressive. If they aren't controlled, they are going to more profoundly affect the populations of the birds they compete with (eg. Western Ringneck parrots and Carnaby's Black cockatoo). Tasmania and New Zealand are also threatened with invading Rainbow Lorikeet populations (also released). Threatened native species there include the Green Rosella and protected Musk Parrot.

Disease spread is also a particular concern.Rainbow lorikeets are healthy carriers of Psittacine Beak and Feather disease. Even if they find a feeding/living balance in the ecosystem, the wrong bird could wipe out entire populations of a susceptible species. And, of course, any introduced bird (even of a native species) could be carrying a disease that could do serious damage to a naive population.

And now some of you are thinking "yah, but these aren't MY birds. And I like these cheeky rainbow buggers. Why should I care?"  An excellent question and one with a most excellent answer.

Remember what I said earlier about people with fruit trees?  If you weren't, pay attention. If you were, you get a cookie. You'll just have to get it yourself, sorry.  Anyway, by "fruit trees" I meant "fruit trees and grape varietals".  Lorikeets love fruit and nectar. These are kind of crucial fruit and wine industries, as you can imagine. So if you love Shiraz (one of Australia's biggest and most popular wine varietals), you probably won't love Rainbow Lorikeets very much any more.  It's okay, they forgive you.

The good news is that Australia is totally on top of invasive species issues. Their unique flora and fauna are considered part of the nation's image. As such, Customs in the airport is a massive pain in the pitard, but governments are more aware. They've had a lot of practice (rabbits, dear, foxes...). Fairly effective control and eradication programs are in place in the affected states and New Zealand. It's also been made illegal to release pet Rainbow Lorikeets into the wild.  From what I can see reading about this issue, they've managed to maintain a modicum of control of the situation. I expect it will only improve or stabilize with time.

That or we'll be seeing a lot more of the cheeky bastards! Hopefully not in those poor defenseless towns...

DUN DUHN DUHHHNNNNN