
Rainbow Lorikeets apparently harvesting orange fungal spores from the underside of willow leaves
Author(s) -
Hugh Ford
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australian field ornithology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2206-3447
pISSN - 1448-0107
DOI - 10.20938/afo38029029
Subject(s) - willow , spore , biology , nectar , orange (colour) , botany , pollen , horticulture
The diet of Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus moluccanus consists largely of nectar and pollen, with some fruit, leaf buds, bark and insects and, more recently, meat provided at bird-feeders. Here, I describe an instance of Rainbow Lorikeets apparently harvesting fungal spores from the underside of leaves of Weeping Willow Salix babylonica, a food item not previously recorded.