Rainbow lorikeets and other parrots are becoming meat eaters - and Queensland researchers want to know why.
Griffith University behavioural ecologist Darryl Jones first heard in March that lorikeets were eating mince left out by bird feeders in Elimbah, just north of Brisbane.
After speaking to the media, he was inundated with reports of similar behaviour.
"In two weeks I had about 500 emails from across the country all saying lorikeets were eating meat ... it was a discovery that nobody expected, I thought it was just one crazy bird," he told AAP.
The challenge now is to figure out why.
Lorikeets typically feed on nectar and pollen and only require a small amount of protein from an occasional insect.
Professor Jones wants to first determine just how much they're eating.
He has one theory that compares the birds' liking for meat to peoples' love of junk food.
"We know humans have an innate drive to have sugar, salt and fats in abundance and it may be a similar thing with the birds," he said.
Whether excess consumption has a similarly adverse effect on their health remains to be seen.
At this stage, no ill-effects have been documented.
Along with rainbow lorikeets, eastern and crimson galahs and cockatoos have also been spotted eating meat.
"It seems to be really widespread," Prof Jones said.
"They're quite stroppy and taking over feed left by people for kookaburras and magpies, who are in some cases not getting a look in."
Prof Jones will work with physiologists and veterinarians, initially observing the birds at roughly 20 backyards in Brisbane, to better understand their feeding habits.
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