Yellow-bibbed Lory

Taxobox
name = Yellow-bibbed Lory

---

status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Psittaciformes
familia = Psittacidae
genus = "Lorius"
species = "L. chlorocercus"
binomial = "Lorius chlorocercus"
binomial_authority = Gould, 1856
synonyms = The Yellow-bibbed Lory ("Lorius chlorocercus") is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family.It is found in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes.

ource

* BirdLife International 2004. [http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/47921/all Lorius chlorocercus] . [http://www.iucnredlist.org 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. ] Downloaded on 24 July 2007.

I have been keeping various lories for almost 50 years and have kept Lorius chlorocercus for the last four years. They have not been readily available because they are found only on the Solomon Islands, and there were very few bird exports from there until recently.

As far as lories are concerned, yellow-bibbed are hardy and prolific. I have had half-a-dozen birds, and currently still have three, but have not bred them yet. However, my friend, who has eight pairs, breeds them on a regular basis.

They are undemanding as far as diet is concerned, provided that the keeper remembers that they are LORIES, not ordinary parrots. Fruit and soft foods MUST make up the greater proportion of their diet. Apart from that, they gobble all the standard parrot fare, and can be left with seeds and pellets for two or three days if you have to be out of town.

An unusual factor is that they are highly insectivorous. This has been recorded by other authors, and I can confirm that they eat an inordinately large amount of insect food, with gusto. Since I always have mealworms, superworms and crickets on hand for the other birds in my collection, this is not a problem.

Temperament wise, they are relatively gentle (for a Lory). If handled regularly, they can be quire affectionate, but one of my males is very domineering, and will not hesitate to bite if you try to take something away from him.

They are good mimics, and speak quite clearly, though not as well as my Moluccan Cockatoo or an African Grey. But they pick up all types of sounds, and have more ringtones than Nokia.

Their natural call is not the worst among lories, but it is persistent. Though not as loud as a cockatoo or macaw, and not as shrill and irritating as one of the Eos or Chalcopstitta lories, it can cause complaints if your neighbours are too close.

If your birds are accustomed to sleeping in a nest box, they shut up once it is dark. If they sleep on a shelf, or on perches as one of mine likes to do, the noise never stops as long as the lights are on.

Generally, yellow-bibbed lories are nice pets provided the keeper is prepared to provide them with more than the normal amount of attention.

Like all lories, they are messy, requiring the aviaries to be hosed down daily (indoor cages should be cleaned twice daily). If this is not done, their food and liquid droppings start to ferment and stink.

One last comment is that the yellow bib that gives this species its name is quite variable. I have seen hundreds of birds passing through a wholesaler's establishment. Most have a prominent yellow patch, but quite a number have only a narrow yellow band, like the bird illustrated in Joseph Forshaw's "Parrots of the World.". And there are yet others with just a faint hint of yellow on the chest, almost like a purple-naped lory.

The amount of yellow does not appear to vary with age, as one of my birds, which is almost four years old, has hardly any yellow, while another, domestic-bred bird has a broad yellow patch on the chest and is less than two years old.