Together we counted more than 2.7 million birds including over 305,000 Rainbow Lorikeets! This puts the Rainbow Lorikeet at the top of the count for the fifth consecutive year.
So, why are Rainbow Lorikeets ruling the roost?
While the species is ubiquitous today, this hasn’t always been the case. In some parts of Australia, such as around Melbourne, the Rainbows were driven out as the urban areas expanded, and even where they were still common in the bush, they were largely absent from our cities.
The rise of the Rainbow Lorikeet highlights the changes in Aussie backyards over the past half century, with traditional European-style cottage gardens making way for native backyards which provide the perfect place for these nectar-loving birds to forage on flowers of eucalypts, bottle-brushes and grevilleas to harvest nectar and pollen. This shows the impact that planting natives can have, head over to our gardening tips page to see which plants will attract your favourite birds.
Head to the website to download the 2018 infographic or view the species list: https://aussiebirdcount.org.au/2018-results/
