While there are exceptions to the case, a lory has a short, rounded, or square tail while a lorikeet has a longer tapering tail. Lories tend to be bigger and most are red with patches of yellow, purple, and green. In general, lorikeets are green with patches of red and yellow.

Their petite size and bright plumage help these arboreal birds hide well in trees, away from would-be predators like birds of prey and snakes. Living in large flocks also helps keep them safe.

Unique among parrots in their diet of pollen and nectar, these birds are also known as honeyeaters. They have a brush-like tongue with elongated papillae (hair-like projections) on the tip that gathers and packs particles of pollen for easy eating. These papillae normally lie flat within a protective cup-like sheath when the bird is at rest or feeding on fairly substantial food such as fruit but are extended fully when it’s feeding on flowers.

Lories and lorikeets usually travel noisily in squawking flocks in search of feeding grounds. Flowering trees tend to attract heavy competition from birds of different species, which may be the reason for their belligerent behaviour. To get to hard-to-reach flowers, they perform acrobatics using their strong beak, adapted for crushing flowers, and their four-toed feet. They climb around skilfully on tree branches and can even hang upside down!

Once safely back in their home trees, they quieten down quickly, making use of these breaks to groom their partner’s feathers. Like many parrots, lories and lorikeets usually pair for life. They may breed at any time of year, nesting in tree hollows. Pairs roost at the same spot but only the female incubates the eggs. When hatched, the chicks are featherless and their eyes are closed. The male helps feed them for seven to eight weeks till they become fully-fledged.