Fun Dusky Lory Facts For Kids

The dusky lory (Pseudeos fuscata) is a parrot species belonging to the Psittaculidae family and its genus is Pseudeos. The white-rumped lory and the dusky-orange lory are two other common names for this bird.

New Guinea and the offshore islands of Batanta, Salawati, and Yapen are home to these birds. They're also known as duskies or banded lories. The dusky lory has two color phases: yellow and orange.

If you like reading this, then you must also give a read to our Mexican parrotlet and night parrot facts too.

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Dusky Lory Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a dusky lory?

A dusky lory is a bird.

What class of animal does a dusky lory belong to?

The dusky lory belongs to the class Aves.

How many dusky lories are there in the world?

The population size of the dusky lory has not yet been quantified, and hence their exact numbers are not known.

Where does a dusky lory live?

Dusky lories live in tropical and subtropical forests. This parrot's natural habitat range is found in New Guinea's wet tropical lowland forests and mountain areas up to a height of 0.9 mi (1448.4 m).

Yapen and Salawati, two adjacent islands, are also home to them. Furthermore, the area's montane and mangrove forests and civilian plantations are part of their natural habitat too. They are primarily found in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

What is a dusky lory's habitat?

Subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest habitats, savanna habitats, plantations, mountain areas that are not very high, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest areas are this bird's natural habitats. The dusky lory is endemic to New Guinea, where it can be found at heights below 1.55 mi (2494.4 m).

Salawati and Yapen, two neighboring islands of Indonesia, are also both home to this species.

Who does the dusky lory live with?

These parrots form large groups of up to a thousand birds to roost in. There is no specific name for their groups.

How long does a dusky lory live?

They live a good and long life. The average life span of a dusky lory is 28-32 years.

How do they reproduce?

When they are around two to two and a half years old, they attain reproductive maturity. Depending on the location, their nesting season varies greatly.

It lasts from November to April in mountainous areas to the east and from July to August in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. The dusky lory prefers to nest in tall trees in mountainous areas, and it looks for a tree with a hole in at a high altitude to shield itself and its babies from predators.

Despite the fact that this species is fairly widespread, we know relatively little about its reproduction in the wild. Females lay two eggs in captivity, which are incubated for around 24 days. The reproductive period of most New Guinea lories is very long, lasting about 70 days.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN, the dusky lory has been classified into the category Least Concern. Even though it is an exotic breed of parrot, the dusky lory is found in decent numbers in their natural habitats comprising tropical and subtropical woods. They have a good distribution of their population across New Guinea and Indonesia.

Dusky Lory Fun Facts

What does the dusky lory look like?

Dusky lory (Pseudeos fuscata) birds are short-tailed parrots that measure approximately 10 in (25.4 cm) in length. These parrots have a whitish back and rump and are mostly orange elsewhere.

This species of parrots has two color phases, with a yellow or orange band around the upper chest and an orange belly. The orange phase bird has a dark brown head and face and orange bands around the upper chest and abdomen (plumage).

Occasionally, these parrots may have a second band around their chest too. Their beak is dark orange, and the base of their mandible has an area of bare orangish tissue.

Their legs are gray, and their irises are red. Some even have tinges of red and green.

This species of birds is known for having an area of bare orange skin under the lower mandible and above the throat. The lower coverts of their wings are brown, while the lower flows are dark blue.

The upper mandible of the bill has a long, pointed tip which is somewhat shorter and narrower than the lower mandible. Their bill is light orange to red in color. Their legs are dark, and their irises are orange.

Most of the orange regions are replaced with yellow among yellow phase birds. For example, yellow phase birds have a yellow-based beak which is brownish-black with dark green at the tip.

How cute are they?

Dusky lories are beautiful just like Cape parrots. They have beautiful shades of dusky brown, red, and orange on their feathers, and they look brilliant.

How do they communicate?

Dusky lories are pretty good communicators, and they can learn how to talk, but they generally express themselves through their screeches.

How big is a dusky lory?

The length of dusky lories is around 9.5 in (24 cm) long, including a  long tail. The bird's weight is around 0.6-0.7 lb (272-317.5 g).

How fast can a dusky lory fly?

Dusky lories can fly very fast, with a top speed of 105 mph (168.9 kph). They have small legs and make their nest out of rocks. They spend most of their lives in the air.

How much does a dusky lory weigh?

Dusky lories weigh about 0.6-0.7 lb (272-317.5 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no specific name for male and female dusky lories. Externally, both males and females have the same look. Juveniles have a duller appearance than adults, with a yellowish back and rump, yellowish-gray irises, and a beak that is white at the base and brown or black at the tip.

What would you call a baby dusky lory?

There is no specific term to refer to a baby dusky lory. They are simply called baby dusky lorries.

What do they eat?

In the wild, lories feed on a variety of foods. Pollen, seeds, nuts, nectar, and fruits are all part of their diet.

Lories living in the wild also feed on insects. Flowers are the most important part of their diet, and they can eat up to 640 different flowers as food a day!

They'll need a decent seed mix as a bird, but more specifically, some high-quality commercial nectar too. This is a nectar-feeding species, so nectar can make up a significant portion of their diet.

They must be provided with fresh nectar, and so when they are bred and kept in captivity, their nectar must be replaced a few times a day.

They can also be fed fresh fruits like apples, pears, bananas, and oranges which are their favorite. Dusky lories have brush-tipped tongues that allow them to feed on soft fruits.

They will feed on nectar from the flowers of around 5,000 different plant species, using their specialized tongues to do so. They have tufts of papillae (extremely fine hairs) on the tip of their tongues that gather nectar and pollen.

Are they dangerous?

Dusky lories are not at all dangerous. They are very friendly and can even learn to talk. They can even be kept as pets!

Would they make a good pet?

The most playful of the lories, these birds make good pets and are chatty talkers too. The only disadvantage is their high-pitched screeching sounds! Lories are popular companion birds because of their intellect, engaging nature, and their breathtaking elegance.

As they get older, the majority of them remain docile. They are affectionate, adventurous, extroverted, and clownish.

They've even been known to lay on their backs and sleep at times! As pets, if looked after properly, they can live for 32 years. However, there are few problematic aspects of owning dusky lories.

If their territories and possessions are not protected, they will become hostile. If they are a bonded couple, housing two lories together will result in injury.

They have high care requirements (especially when it comes to diet preparations) and often necessitate a lot of treatment. Baths or showers should be part of their hygiene routine on a daily basis, along with a diet including plenty of nectar and pollen. Their screechy sounds are another problematic aspect of keeping them as pets.

Did you know...

In order to find a good spawning spot, dusky lories can fly great distances. They will build their nests in tree cavities up to 80 ft (24 m) in the air.

Other common names for this species are the white-rumped lory or the dusky-orange lory.

There are about 55 different species of lorikeets in total.

Different species of lorikeets have different prices. For example, rainbow lorikeets cost $400-$700 while Swainson's lories cost about $1000.

A group of lorikeets is called a pandemonium.

What is the difference between a lory and a lorikeet?

The difference between the two is roughly equivalent to that between a parrot and a plain parakeet. Lorikeets have a long body, while the name lory refers to a bird with a short tail.

Lories are short and rounded, whereas lorikeets have longer bodies and tails. The terms are largely used interchangeably, and in their native Australasia, both animals are known as 'lorikeets.'

How smart are lorikeets?

Lorikeets and lorries are both very intelligent and playful birds. They are quick to pick up new vocabulary and tricks. They are well adapted to being colorful aviary birds, but they can be aggressive and do not get along well with other birds.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these common nighthawk facts and red kite facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Dusky lory coloring pages.