Editing Rainbow lorikeet (section)

== Status ==
[[File:12 week old Rainbow Lorikeet.jpg|thumb|right|A 12-week-old female rainbow lorikeet in a back yard in Sydney]]Overall, the rainbow lorikeet remains widespread and often common. According to the annual Birdlife Australia census, it is the most commonly observed bird in Australia.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Aussie Backyard Bird Count Results|url=http://aussiebirdcount.org.au/2016-results/|website=Bird Life Australia|access-date=16 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220144649/http://aussiebirdcount.org.au/2016-results/|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is therefore considered to be of [[least concern]] by [[BirdLife International]]. The status for some localised subspecies is more precarious, with especially ''T. h. rosenbergii'', the [[Biak lorikeet]] (which possibly is worthy of treatment as a separate species), being threatened by [[habitat loss]] and capture for the [[parrot trade]].<ref name=IOC/><ref name=JuniperParrt>Juniper, T., & M. Parr (1998). A Guide to the Parrots of the World. Pica Press. {{ISBN|1-873403-40-2}}</ref>

=== As a pest ===
[[File:Trichoglossus moluccanus, flowering Xanthorrhoea.jpg|thumb|Introduced to Western Australia]]

Many fruit orchard owners consider them a pest, as they often fly in groups and strip trees containing fresh fruit. In urban areas, the birds create nuisance noise and foul outdoor areas and vehicles with droppings.<ref name=Chapman />

The rainbow lorikeet was accidentally released into the southwest of [[Western Australia]] near the [[University of Western Australia]] in the 1960s and they have since been classified as a pest.<ref name=perth /> They have a major impact there by competing with indigenous bird species, including domination of food sources and competition for increasingly scarce nesting hollows.<ref name=Chapman /> Bird species such as the [[purple-crowned lorikeet]], the [[Carnaby's black cockatoo]],<ref name=Chapman /> and the [[Australian ringneck]] are adversely affected or displaced.

A feral population was established in New Zealand after a resident of the North Shore, Auckland, illegally<ref>Keeling, P. & Polkanov, A. 'The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus) problem in New Zealand' from Conference Abstracts, 175; Notorins</ref> released significant numbers of captive-reared birds in the area in the 1990s, which started breeding in the wild. By 1999, a self-sustaining feral population of 150–200 birds had been established in the region, proving that they could survive and adapt to the New Zealand environment.<ref name="doc.govt.nz">{{cite web |url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/threats-and-impacts/animal-pests/animal-pests-a-z/rainbow-lorikeet/ |title=Animal pests A–Z|author=New Zealand Department of Conservation|website=www.doc.govt.nz}}</ref> The Department of Conservation, concerned that rainbow lorikeets would outcompete native [[honeyeaters]] and by the possible threat to pristine island habitats such as [[Little Barrier Island]], began eradicating the feral population in 2000. The [[Ministry for Primary Industries]] Bio-security, in partnership with DOC and regional councils, now manages rainbow lorikeets under the National Interest Pest Response initiative. The aim of the response is to prevent rainbow lorikeets from becoming established in the wild.<ref name="doc.govt.nz"/> Late in 2010, five of these birds were discovered living in the [[Mount Maunganui]] area. They were fed for a few days before being trapped by a Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries contractor.<ref>Betty Jeeves; 'Rainbow Lorikeets Gone From Bay', 17 August 2011; ''Bay of Plenty Times''</ref>