Wrapped in a Rainbow

The hues of the lorikeet

Bronwen Scott
Tea with Mother Nature

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Rainbow Lorikeet with indigo head, red eye and beak, lime green collar, leaf green back and wings and orange and yellow breast, eyein the camera. The bird sits among profuse cream-coloured palm flowers.
Rainbow Lorikeet eyeing the camera, Atherton Tablelands, FNQ. © Bronwen Scott

With those vivid colouring-book hues, Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) should stand out like beacons. But when a bird lands in a tree, the green disappears among the leaves, the purple among the shadows, and the red and yellow are neutralised by reflected light. If it weren’t for the chatter and shrieks — and the deluge of discarded flowers — you might never know it was…

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Bronwen Scott
Tea with Mother Nature

Zoologist, writer, artist, museum fan, enjoying life in the tropical rainforest of Far North Queensland. She/her. Website: bronwenscott.com