Chattering Lory General Info

These rare and endangered parrots are one of the eastern hemisphere’s most interesting birds. With their unique personality and an incredible, charming coloration, the Chattering Lory is among the most sought-after parrot breeds. Those of you who have a passion for exotic, colorful and temperamental parrots, will certainly find these lories up to your taste. Their fun and energetic, often goofy behavior, and affectionate tendencies will quickly charm you and in no time you will fall in love with your colorful feathered friend. And with a lifespan of up to 30 or more years, you can find a companion for a long time.

Chattering Lory is best known for its striking colors – they make for a unique appearance.

Native Region/Natural Habitat

The home of these parrots is reserved to the North Maluku in Indonesia. This province consists of a few islands in the Maluku archipelago. This relatively small natural habitat and the excessive trapping for illegal trade have resulted in significant losses and declining populations. That’s why today, the Chattering Lory is considered to be a vulnerable breed. Indonesian officials are fighting to preserve their habitat and stabilize their populations. They are usually found in local montane forests at altitudes of up to 1050 meters, and they live in canopies.

Overall Description

When it comes to the physical aspect, at a first glance the Chattering Lory is largely similar to their close cousins in the Lory family of parrots. The short conical tail, the small beak, and the distinct eyes are all there and shared among the species. Even so, they have a few distinct unique traits, the color being the major one. The adults reach an average length of 12 inches (30 centimeters) and weigh up to ½ pound (250 grams). They are considered to be medium-sized parrots, and as such, they will need to have a plenty of room and exercise during the day. Additionally, with being a highly social and energetic parrot, they will surely need all the space and fun activities you can provide.

Speech and Sounds

While Chattering Lory is not terribly noisy, they do have one small drawback – their natural calls. They have a piercing and high pitched call which can be heard a few times per day. This aspect makes the lories best suited for house environments or outdoor aviaries. On the other hand, all lories are fantastic mimics. They have a natural knack for impersonation and will surprise you with their accuracy. Whistles, telephones, alarms and common animals are among the favorite sounds to repeat.

Colors

One common aspect shared by all lories is their magnificent, striking and, without a doubt, charming plumage. With bold colors, exotic tones and subtle gradients, these beautiful parrots will captivate every owner. The body is mostly bright, striking red. For the most part, wings are a tropical green, lighter on top and getting dark towards the bottom. The wing tips are black. The lower half of the front tail feathers is black, while underneath the tail there’s a fiery mixture of red, yellow and orange, displaying a magnificent detail when the bird is perched. The thighs and legs are also bright green. One of the distinct details is the orange beak and the thin, black strip across the eyes, giving their face a mysterious look. With all these exotic colors and unique details, the Chattering Lory is hands down an amazingly colored parrot.

This Indonesian parrot is famous for the striking colors and exotic looks. You will fall in love in an instant.

Care and Feeding

In the wild, these parrots thrive on a varied diet that consists of fruits, insects, seeds and tree blossoms. The best choice for your pet is a pellet based diet. These are the common commercial pellet mixes and they have a good consistency of all the necessary proteins and nutrients. To achieve a balanced diet for your lory, you should add a regular dose of fresh fruits and vegetables. Just remember to avoid chocolate, sugary sweets, and avocado. These can cause diarrhea, and sometimes even bigger issues.

Health and Common Conditions

Chattering lories are known for being hardy and having good health overall. That is, of course, if you take good care of them. Being highly intelligent and very social birds, they might require more interaction than some other breeds. Be sure to play often and provide a lot of toys to keep them occupied and content. You will quickly get to know their specific personality and their great need for playing. A neglected and lonely lory will develop serious behavioral issues and can resolve to feather plucking and even worse self-harm.

These parrots are highly social and depend on interaction and playtime. Make sure to provide a lot of attention.

Personality & Behavior

In general, these lories are popular thanks to their sweet nature and an energetic and playful personality. You can be sure that no day will be ordinary or dull when your pet is around. You will enjoy the new tricks and new games and in turn, you will have a happy and satisfied pet on your hands. An occasional cuddling time should not come as a surprise, especially if you’re the favorite human of the household to your pet. But all things considered, Chattering Lories are unique parrots that make entertaining and good pets.

Photo credit: Panu Ruangjan/Shutterstock; Vlad Siaber/Shutterstock