Parrots under the influence

It's drunken parrot season in the Northern Territory, but instead of getting a bit tiddly, this year the birds are getting totally sloshed. Before the rains each year, scores of intoxicated red-collared lorikeets are picked up off Darwin's streets and taken to the local animal hospital. But this year is so bad vet Dr Stephen Cutter is calling it a massive outbreak. "People find them huddled in a corner or at the bottom of a tree. Mostly they just look sick - just a sad little bundle of feathers hiding from the world," he says. Mango, umbrella, and other trees can cause mild drunkenness in birds when the fruit or nectar ferments at different times throughout the year. (Source: Australian Geographic)   More Read