Photographs of rainbow lorikeets who usually feed on seeds eating meat has puzzled bird experts . A series of pictures snapped at a Elimbah home - north of Brisbane - owned by a man only known as Bill shows the Australian icons feasting on mince , the ABC reported . Griffith University 's Darryl Jones has been studying bird for about 20 years , taking a particular interest in bird feeding , and says he has never seen a phenomena like this before . This photo of lorikeets eating mince meat was snapped in Elimbah - north of Brisbane in Queensland . ' I 've not ever heard of lorikeets , who are seed eating birds , eat meats , ' he told Daily Mail Australia . 'What on earth are lorikeets eating meats for ? 'It 's not unusual for animals to eat bad food , humans do that every single day - we eat fat and sugars . ' I ca n't imagine it could be good for them . I do n't recommend people feeding them meat . ' Professor Jones shed some light on why he thought lorikeets had taken a carnivorous turn . He said they must have acquired a taste for proteins when people put out food for other birds . Griffith University Professor Darryl Jones has expressed shock at seeing these seed-eating birds chow down on meat . 'Although you really should n't feed birds , there are a huge number of people who do anyway , ' Prof Jones told Daily Mail Australia . 'Magpies , butcher birds and kookaburras are meat eating birds and people put out chopped up sausage and ham for them . ' Since expressing his views on the photos , Prof Jones said he had been inundated by emails from people claiming it was more common than he had thought . Lorikeets are normally birds that favour a diet of seeds . Prof Jones does not recommend feeding them meat . ' I 've had 188 emails coming in , saying it happens ... so it 's not as rare as what I was thinking , ' he said . Wildlife carer Fran Sanders - who has been taking in animals for 25 years in Brisbane - told the ABC she had also never seen this kind of behaviour from lorikeets . ' I 'm absolutely amazed and horrified , ' she said . ' I 've never heard any of them [ people she had helped ] talk about lorikeets coming down and eating mince . '
Pictures show rainbow lorikeets eating meat near Brisbane , Queensland . Lorikeets are normally seed-eating birds and this has surprised experts . Griffith University 's Darryl Jones said he did not think it was good for them . They might have acquired taste for it after seeing meat-eating birds feeding .