Yellow-streaked Lory Chalcopsitta scintillata By Matt Schmit
There are three recognized subspecies of the Yellow-streaked Lory - Chalcopsitta scintillata scintillata, C. s. chloroptera, and C. s. rubifrons. Found in lowland savanna, montane forest, mangroves and coconut plantations of southern New Guinea and the Aru Islands. The Yellow-streaked Lory is fairly common in the wild and abundant throughout its range. It is listed on CITES II.
The Yellow-streaked Lory is a green bird with a bright red forehead, crown, thighs and underwing covert feathers. At the crown, the head is black which extends to the chest and blends with the green belly. Yellow streaking occurs over the entire underside of the bird. Its beak, feet and skin around the eye are black. C. s. chloroptera has mostly green underwing coverts and the body color is lighter with narrower streaking. C. s. rubifrons has wider, more orange streaking on its breast, which is browner than in the nominate species. In the wild, the Yellow-streaked lory primarily feeds on the nectar and pollen of Syzygium, Brassaia actinophylla, sago palms and Schefflera.
In captivity, Yellow-streaked Lories are fairly common and breed easily. As with the other species in the genus Chalcopsitta, they can become quite tame. Even non-tame individuals can be quite confiding and are far from shy. The Yellow-streaked's loud, high-pitched voice can be a deterrent to some, but their playful, energetic personality far makes up for any negative attributes.
A hand-reared Yellow-streaked Lory can be, in our opinion, one of the best choices for a companion lory. They are naturally trusting and are quite affectionate. Like all lories, they are typically very playful and enjoy many types of toys. They tend to accept a wider range of food items than the other Chalcopsitta lories, making them extremely easy to feed. They can be very aggressive toward other species of birds, though, so extreme caution must be taken with this species when kept with other types of birds.
References:
Collar, N.J. (1997). Family Psittacidae (Parrots). Pp. 280-477 in: del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. eds. (1997). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol 4. Sandgrouse to Cuckoos. Lynx Edicions: Barcelona
Low, R. (1998). Hancock House Encyclopedia of the Lories. Hancock House: Blaine, WA
loriinae.com
