The 'Drunk' Lorikeets Of Darwin

Each year around this time, the hospital in Palmerston, Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory is inundated with patients that appear to be totally drunk and disoriented. They however, are not the city's human residents, but the beautiful red-collared Lorikeets, native to the region.

The birds seem to lose all their coordination and are often spotted falling off trees or missing perches as they try to hop between branches. They end up lying on the ground totally passed out until rescued, or picked up by predators.

Scientists are not sure what causes this weird behavior, which happens only during the monsoon season, between November and May - it could be something the birds are consuming or a mysterious illness. A similar occurrence with Southeastern Australia's Musk Lorikeets was attributed to the consumption of fermented eucalypt nectar. Experts therefore believe that something similar may be going on here and are keeping a vigilant eye on the Lorikeet's feeding habits.

The good news is, that once these beautiful, albeit drunk birds are checked in to the hospital, they are cured with a diet of sweetened porridge and fresh fruit. After a few weeks they are ready to go back in the wild, with no side-effects.

Despite that, with the number of cases increasing dramatically each year, experts believe that the mystery of Australia's 'drunk' Lorikeets' needs to be solved as soon as possible - Now where is Sherlock Holmes when you need him?

Though red-collared Lorikeets are often mistaken for rainbow Lorikeets, they are a distinct species. The social and noisy birds feed on nectar, insects, fruits, flowers and pollen. They are very intelligent, highly trainable and very playful, making excellent pets. The largest of all Lorikeets, these gorgeous birds are born gray and develop their bright colors as they grow.

Sources: Australiangeographic.com, dailymail.co.uk,news.discovery.com, starescue.org