Here at the Lory’s Nest we have been breeding lories and lorikeets since 1976.  We have specialized in the breeding of Mt Goliath (Stella) Lorikeets since 1988 and have both color phases, red and melanistic.  We have added over 200 individuals to the captive breeding stock in the United States, Mexico, Jamaica, and Israel. We have managed our flock into the fourth generation of unrelated pairs.  There are several reasons we decided to specialize in the Mt. Goliath Lorikeet also known as the Stella Lorikeet. They are beautiful birds that are medium in size.  They have a pleasant sounding call that is not very loud and they have playful personalities. They make good parents and are not nervous in captivity.

 We also keep a small number of Blue Crown Lories as well as Red-flanked Lorikeets.  These are some of the smallest of the lory species.  We find these birds to be delightful, enchanting creatures of great beauty.  It has been our experience that they do well in aviculture and are not difficult to breed.  All of our birds are raised in the nest by their parents for better future breeding.

 We believe that through sharing information and pictures of these amazing birds, others will find them as enjoyable as we do.  On the following pages we have included information about the bird species (Our Birds) as well as many photographs (Photos).  There are even a few small movie clips.  We hope that you will enjoy them.

We believe that a picture is indeed worth a thousand words.  In the following information we find it difficult to physically describe these birds other than their size.  We have included many pictures throughout the site in an effort to show them to you.  All of the pictures at the Lory’s Nest are our birds.

 Here at the Lory’s Nest we currently keep only 3 different species, Mount Goliath/Stella’s Lorikeet, Red-Flanked Lorikeet and the Blue Crown Lory.  The names Mount Goliath and Stella’s have been used in aviculture to describe the same bird, Charmosyna papou goliathina.  While there actually is a bird known as Charmosyna papou stellae which is also called Stella’s, this common name has been applied to both subspecies.

 These birds lay their eggs in clutches of two.  The eggs take 24 days to hatch. The nestlings take around 60 days before they fledge.  The Mount Goliaths and Blue Crowns take two breeding seasons before they reach sexual maturity while the Red-Flanks are ready to breed in one year.

 Mount Goliath / Stella’s Lorikeet, Charmosyna papou goliathina.

Both of these birds are subspecies of the Papuan Lory (Charmosyna papou).  In Parrots of the World by Joseph Forshaw both C.p. goliathina and C.p. stellae are refered to as Stella’s Lory.  Rosemary Lowe in her book Lories and Lorikeets lists the two different subspecies as Mount Goliath Lorikeet and Stella’s Lorikeet.  The San Diego Zoo has designated their pair as Mount Goliath Lorikeets.  The only difference between these two subspecies is as noted:  Mount Goliath is said to have more yellow than orange in the central tail feathers and the upper tail coverts are green instead of red.  We have no wish to engage in a debate over common names.  We simply wish to inform our visitors that we refer to our birds as both Mount Goliath and Stella’s Lorikeets here because that is what they are most commonly called in aviculture.  They are Charmosyna papou goliathina.  Call them what you will they are beautiful and charming birds. 

 The Mount Goliath Lorikeet is a medium sized lory. It is approximately 16” long including the long central tail feathers. There is both a red and melanistic color phase.  In the melanistic phase the red feathers are replaced by black ones.  These birds are sexually dimorphic.  In the reds the females have yellow back feathers and in the melanistic phase the males have red backs.  It has been recorded that in the wild there are usually more blacks than reds and they are most often found in mixed pairs.

 These birds come from the mountains of central New Guinea.  In the wild their diet consists of pollen, nectar, blossoms, fruits, berries, and possibly insects and their larvae.  They have a mellow call and small trilling song. Back to top

 Red-Flanked Lorikeet, Charmosyna placentas

The Red-Flanked Lorikeet is also known as the Pleasing Lorikeet and the Beautiful Lorikeet. They are a very small lory, approximately 6-1/2” in length. These birds are sexually dimorphic.  The females are green and yellow.  The males are green with bright blue cheeks and red faces and flanks. These birds come from the Moluccas, Kai and Aru Islands, Indonesia, through New Guinea and adjacent islands to the Bismarck Archipelago and Bouganville Island in the Solomons.  In the wild they eat pollen, nectar, and probably soft fruits.  These birds inhabit the savannah and lowland forests. Back to top

 Blue Crown Lory,  Vini australis

The Blue Crown Lory is also known as Blue-crested or Samoan Lory.  It is also one of the smaller species.  They are approximately 7-1/2” in size.  These beautiful little birds must be DNA sexed, the males and the females look identical.  They come from Samoa, Tonga and nearby islands in central Polonesia and Lau Archipelago.  They live on the nectar from the coconut flowers.  They are able to fly from one island to another. Back to top

 References:

Forshaw, J. M., 1977, Parrots of the World, New Jersey, T.F.H. Publications, Inc.

Low, Rosemary,  1977, Lories and Lorikeets, The Brush-Tongued Parrots, New Jersey, T.F.H. Publications, Inc.