NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Rainbow Lorikeet
Trichoglossus moluccanus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus moluccanus), Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The rainbow lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush, and woodland areas. Six taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species (see Taxonomy).
Rainbow lorikeets have been introduced to Perth, Western Australia; Tasmania; Auckland, New Zealand; and Hong Kong.
Wikipedia contributors, Rainbow lorikeet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:37:02.898991+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Trichoglossus moluccanus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Common name
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Trichoglossus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPsittaciformes
- familyPsittaculidae
- genusTrichoglossus Stephens, 1826
- speciesTrichoglossus moluccanus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Trichoglossus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Olive-headed LorikeetTrichoglossus euteles (Temminck, 1835) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Coconut LorikeetTrichoglossus haematodus (Linnaeus, 1771) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pohnpei LorikeetTrichoglossus rubiginosus (Bonaparte, 1850) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-collared LorikeetTrichoglossus rubritorquis Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Leaf LorikeetTrichoglossus weberi (Büttikofer, 1894) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Biak LorikeetTrichoglossus rosenbergii Schlegel, 1871 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Marigold LorikeetTrichoglossus capistratus (Bechstein, 1811) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scaly-breasted LorikeetTrichoglossus chlorolepidotus (Kuhl, 1820) | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sunset LorikeetTrichoglossus forsteni Bonaparte, 1850 | PsittaculidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Psittacus moluccanus J. F. Gmelin, 1788 J. F. Gmelin, 1788 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=714103 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:58CK8. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.