There are many different species of lorikeets, and they have very important and unique dietary requirements compared to any other pet parrot. Lorikeets, are primarily nectar and pollen eaters, with specialised brush-tipped tongues. In captivity, their base diet is usually provided as a wet or dry lorikeet or lory mix.

Unfortunately, this does make finding lorikeet-safe treats a bit tricky. It is strongly recommended to avoid offering seeds or seed mixes, as lorikeets lack the muscular gizzard needed to properly digest seeds and can suffer from digestive issues. The best approach is to provide a diet that mimics their natural foraging habits, incorporating fresh, safe fruits, vegetables and Australian native flowers as a natural supplement alongside their main diet.

Native flowers are not only a healthy treat but also provide enrichment, encouraging natural foraging behaviours your lorikeets would perform in the wild. In this guide, we’ll go through seasonal Australian native flowers that are safe for your birds, helping you offer variety, nutrition, and fun all year round.

Below is a simple seasonal guide to Australian native nectar flowers that can safely be given to your lorikeets throughout the year. Each season brings different blooms, ensuring variety and enrichment for your feathered friend!

🌿 All Year Round

These native flowers are a reliable source of nectar throughout multiple seasons of the year, making them the perfect easy-to-go-to plants for your lorikeet’s enrichment.

Grevillea ( Various Species including ‘Robyn Gordon’, ‘Superb’, ‘Honey Gem’)

Grevilleas are one of my personal favourites to provide to my pet lorikeets. They absolutely love them. The flowers of grevilleas come in many different colours including deep red, pink, yellow and more. Grevilleas are well known for their unique spider-like or brush-like flowers. The entire plant is bird safe, which means you can provide your pet birds with natural safe perching along side tasty flowers.

Bottle Brush (Callistemon Species)

Bottlebrush is one of the most commonly known Australian native flowers, and many bird owners (Including myself!) seek them out because they are so well-known to be bird-safe. Interestingly, the flowers can come in more colours than just the classic red, with many varieties also featuring pink, white, and yellow flowers. All true bottlebrush species from the Callistemon genus are considered safe for birds. However, due to botanical reclassifications, some plants also called bottlebrushes are now in the Melaleuca genus. While many of these are also safe, it's safest for bird owners like yourself to stick to verified Callistemon species to ensure your bird's safety.

Coastal Rosemary (Westringia Fruticosa)

Coastal Rosemary is a bushy shrub commonly used as a pretty addition to gardens, hedging, and landscaping. These hardy plants produce small white or pale purple flowers that many smaller birds adore. In the wild, finches and other small species love to play and hide amongst the branches, as the dense foliage provides a safe and sheltered home. The entire plant is bird-safe, which makes it a wonderful choice for bird owners wanting to offer natural perching and leafy branches for their birds to explore. While Coastal Rosemary isn’t as nectar-rich as other native varieties, lorikeets still enjoy the delicate flowers and the light nectar they produce.

Coastal Banksia (Banksia Integrifolia)

The Coastal Banksia is one of the best Australian native plants for pet parrots, offering a wide range of benefits. It’s a hardy species, making it a reliable choice for gardens. Its pale-yellow flowers provide a rich, nutritious nectar source that lorikeets absolutely love, and they often appear from autumn through to spring — giving a consistent, natural food source across multiple seasons.

After flowering, the woody banksia cones (or “pods”) that form make excellent, safe chewing material for many parrot species. Chewing on these natural textures helps keep beaks trim and provides valuable mental stimulation. The leaves and branches of the Coastal Banksia are also bird-safe, making them perfect for natural perching and foraging enrichment.

☀️ Summer (December–February)

Many Native Nectar flowers, like Bottlebrush, reach their peak in summer, making them a favourite and easily accessible treat for our pet lorikeets.

Eucalyptus Trees (Various species)

Eucalyptus trees are a fantastic source of nectar flowers for our lorikeets. Some species also produce gum nuts, which are often used in foraging toys or as natural materials for birds to chew and play with. While many species of Eucalyptus are bird-safe, it’s important to note that concentrated essential oils derived from them are toxic and should never be used for or around birds.

Yellow Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon)

The Yellow Gum is a popular and widely grown eucalypt, known for its distinctive bark and stunning flowers. While its name comes from the yellowish, smooth bark, the flowers aren’t always yellow — depending on the subspecies, they can also be pink, red, or cream. These nectar-rich flowers typically appear in spring and early summer, though some varieties bloom more during the cooler months. Yellow Gum flowers are a fantastic source of natural enrichment and a tasty treat for lorikeets, while the branches provide safe, natural perching and climbing opportunities.

Gum Trees (Eucalyptus, Corymbia & Angophora Species)

Gum trees are a favourite for our native lorikeets, and their flowers make an excellent summer treat for your pet birds. While the term “gum tree” often refers to a Eucalyptus species, several varieties outside the Eucalyptus genus — such as the vibrant Red Flowering Gum (Corymbia ficifolia) and the Sydney Red Gum (Angophora costata) — also produce an abundance of nectar and pollen that is safe and can be enjoyed by lorikeets. The Red Flowering Gum produces stunning blossoms in shades of red, pink, orange, and occasionally white, while the Sydney Red Gum displays creamy white flowers. As foraging provides vital enrichment for pet birds, these native flowers are a wonderful addition to their diet. The hard-shelled fruits, or gumnuts, and leafy branches can also be offered as fun chew toys, providing both physical and mental stimulation.

Golden Penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus)

The Golden Penda is well known for its strikingly stunning yellow flowers. These trees can grow up to 12 metres tall and have lush, green, lance-shaped leaves. The entire tree is bird-safe and makes a fun, leafy addition to your bird’s cage or aviary. Lorikeets especially love the nectar-rich flowers, providing another excellent source of native blooms. Did you know the Golden Penda comes from the rainforests of northeastern Queensland and is related to both eucalypts and bottlebrushes? How cool is that!

Leptospermum (Tea Tree)

Tea Tree, from the leptospermum genus is a well known for its dense, fine foliage and delicate small flowers which come in different shades of white, pink or red. These plants provide both a tasty nectar source and stimulating enrichment for your pet lorikeets.

Lorikeets love to forage on the honey-scented blossoms, which encourage natural feeding behaviours, whilst the fine leafy branches are perfect for adding shredding fun to their cage or aviary.  It is important to note not all Tea Tree plants are bird safe and we strongly recommend if you are unsure on the species you have in your garden or locally sourced in your area, then you are best to avoid giving it to your bird. 

⚠️ Important Safety Note: While the fresh plant material from bird-safe Leptospermum species is completely safe for your birds, it is crucial to remember that concentrated tea tree oil, derived from a related plant (Melaleuca alternifolia), is highly toxic to birds. Never use this essential oil for or around your birds.

Kunzea - Tick Bush (Kunzea Ambigua)

Kunzea, also known as Tick Bush, is a fantastic and safe native plant that produces a spectacular display of fluffy white flowers, typically in the cooler months. These flowers are rich in nectar, making them irresistible to lorikeets and other nectar-feeding birds.

The fine, dense foliage provides excellent shelter and a great space for birds to hide, climb, and explore, making it a valuable addition to an aviary. The branches are also perfect for chewing and perching, offering a variety of natural textures for your birds to enjoy.

⚠️Important Safety Note: Like Tea Trees, Kunzea is used to produce essential oils. These concentrated oils are extremely dangerous to birds. While the fresh, chemical-free plant is completely safe, never use Kunzea essential oil for or around your birds.

🍂 Autumn (March–May)

Crimson Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus)

While many bottlebrushes have their main flush in spring and summer, some varieties, like the Crimson Bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), also bloom heavily in autumn. 

Hakea Laurina (Pincushion Hakea)

The Hakea Laurina is a striking Western Australian native known for its distinctive, ball-shaped flowers that resemble old-fashioned pincushions. These unique blooms can grow up to 5 cm in diameter and are completely bird-safe, making them a wonderful, natural treat for your birds.

Once the flowers fade, they leave behind strong, woody nuts that hold the seeds for future plants. Interestingly, these seed pods only open after exposure to fire — a clever survival trait that allows the species to regenerate in the wild. Just like banksia pods or gumnuts, Hakea Laurina nuts are also safe to offer your birds as natural chewing and foraging material.

⚠️ Important Safety Note: Although Hakea nuts are considered safe for birds, it’s important to remember they’re not the same as banksia pods or gumnuts, which are much softer. Hakea nuts are extremely dense and hard, and when chewed, they can splinter into sharp, jagged pieces. If ingested, these fragments could cause internal injury or impaction. If you’re unsure or concerned, it’s best to avoid giving Hakea nuts to your birds.

Broad-leafed Paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia)

Paperbark trees are one of my absolute favourites — and my birds love them just as much! The soft, paper-like bark is perfect for shredding and provides endless fun for all species of birds. The Broad-leafed Paperbark is especially wonderful, with its main flowering period occurring in late summer through autumn, often peaking around March and April in eastern Australia (particularly NSW and Queensland). These creamy-white blooms are rich in nectar, making them a delicious and enriching natural treat for lorikeets and other nectar-loving birds.

Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa)

The Grey Box is a beautiful type of Eucalyptus tree and a premier natural food source for lorikeets, especially during the cooler months when nectar is harder to find. Its clusters of small white flowers, usually grouped in sets of 7 to 9, provide an excellent source of nectar during autumn and early winter. The tree’s pale, dense bark not only gives it a striking appearance but also makes its branches ideal for natural perching, chewing, and helping to keep your bird’s nails naturally trimmed.

❄️ Winter (June–August)

Grevillea Hybrid 'Winter Delight'

The Grevillea Hybrid known as 'Winter Delight' flowers during the cooler months from Autumn to Winter and sometimes during the beginning of spring. These plants have a dense, narrow, grey-green leaves that form a low bushy ground cover with their flowers being a strikingly beautiful spider-like clusters, deep rose-pink to crimson-red colours. The entire plant is bird safe and can be a great source of enrichment to their cage or aviary. Providing these flowers for your lorikeets is a great natural source of enrichment and nutrition.

Grevillea Hybrid 'Peaches & Cream'

The Grevillea hybrid known as ‘Peaches & Cream’ is famous for flowering almost continuously throughout the year, especially in the warmer parts of Australia, such as Queensland and New South Wales. It's name perfectly describes it's marvellously beautiful blooms—the flowers emerge in soft peachy-apricot tones and mature to a creamy yellow, creating a stunning bi-colour display. These nectar-rich flowers are packed with energy, making them a favourite for lorikeets and other nectar-loving birds. The entire plant is bird safe and provides excellent enrichment, from the delicious flowers to the natural branches that are perfect for perching and climbing for many species of pet birds.

❄️ Note for cooler Australian climates: While the Grevillea hybrid ‘Peaches & Cream’ is known for its continuous nectar production in subtropical areas such as Queensland and New South Wales, flowering may slow down or even stop entirely during the coldest months in cooler, frost-prone regions like Victoria or Tasmania.

Winter Bonus Lilly Pilly Fruit (Syzygium Species) 

While Lilly Pilly trees don’t produce flowers throughout the winter, they do offer their tasty fruit, which many pet birds—including lorikeets—love to enjoy. The entire Lilly Pilly plant (Syzygium species) is bird-safe and provides natural perching, foraging, and shredding opportunities for your birds. Our lorikeets, Frankie and Connor, absolutely love nibbling on the leaves from our Lilly Pilly tree. Here’s a photo of Frankie enjoying his leafy branch treat from our personal garden!

🌸 Spring (September–November)

Melaleuca (Various Species)

Just like the Broad-leafed Paperbark we mentioned earlier, there are many other species of Melaleuca that burst into nectar-filled blooms throughout spring. When spring truly arrives, these Paperbark trees transform into a stunning display. Species such as the Flax-leaved Paperbark (M. linariifolia) become completely covered in fluffy, creamy-white flowers — offering a generous, high-energy feast of nectar and pollen. These soft, brush-like blooms are easily enjoyed by lorikeets. As an added bonus, the branches and their soft, peeling bark are entirely bird-safe and make excellent natural shredding and perching material for your birds all year round.

Waxflower (Crowea Species)

Not all beneficial flowers are large and showy! The various Crowea species (commonly known as Waxflowers) produce delicate, star-shaped blooms that provide a reliable nectar source throughout spring, often extending into early winter. These charming little flowers, typically in shades of pink, white, or purple, may not have the abundance of a Banksia, but they offer a steady, manageable nectar reward. The entire Crowea plant is bird-safe, and its compact size makes it ideal for pots or smaller garden spaces — perfect for both sharing with your pet lorikeets and attracting wild visitors.

Lilly Pilly Flower (Syzygium Species)

We previously spoke about the delicious fruits that Lilly Pilly trees provide during winter. However, in spring, these trees truly shine for nectar feeders, bursting with clusters of small, creamy-white, fluffy flowers that are absolutely packed with nectar. Lilly Pillys play a vital role in the spring nectar flow, offering an abundant source of easily accessible, energy-rich nectar for your pet lorikeets to enjoy. Just like in winter, the entire plant remains bird-safe, and its sturdy branches and dense foliage continue to provide excellent, non-toxic perching and chewing enrichment.

⚠️ Safety Tip

As with any food or plant material you offer your bird, always make sure it’s completely free from pesticides, herbicides, or other chemicals.

Always ensure the plants you offer your birds meets these two rules:

1. Chemical-Free Source:
   Never use flowers or branches from a florist, nursery, or commercial garden, as they are often treated. Only use plants from a source you absolutely trust to be pesticide and chemical-free.
2. Pollution-Free Zone:
   Avoid collecting plants or flowers from areas near busy roads, industrial sites, or anywhere with heavy traffic, as they may contain heavy metal or exhaust contamination.

When in doubt, it’s always safest to avoid it and source your plants elsewhere.

In Conclusion

There are many different species of Australian native nectar flowers — far more than we could include in just one article! The plants we’ve covered here are some of the most common and easily found across various regions of Australia. By following this guide, you’ll have a better idea of which nectar flowers come into season throughout the year, helping you provide natural, tasty treats and enriching foraging opportunities for your pet lorikeets.