The Red Lory is the most commonly kept lory in captivity. This intelligent bird has a playful personality and a colourful appearance. Red Lories are primarily a deep red with black and electric blue markings on the wings and rump, pattern varies from individual to individual. The tail is darker maroon. They range in size from ten to twelve inches long and have an orange beak.
The subspecies, Buru Red Lory (Eos bornea cyanonothus) is darker, more maroon in colour, and is often confused in captivity with the nominate. Inadvertent interbreeding between the two subspecies has made a clear identification difficult for pet owners as hybrids can be found. The other two subspecies are not as common, Rothschild's Red Lory (Eos bornea rothschildi) and Bernstein's Red Lory (Eos bornea bernsteini).
Description
The Red Lory is about 31 cm long (12 in). It is mostly red and the plumage of the upper body is all red. There are red, blue, and black markings on the back and wings, and the tail is red-brown with blue under-tail coverts. The beak is orange and the legs are grey. The irises are red except in E. b. bernsteini, which has brown irises. There is no bare skin at the base of the lower mandible. The male and female have identical external appearance. Juveniles are duller and have brown irises and a brownish beak.
