LITTLE WINGS IN LONG BEACH, TYKES TAKE IN AN AQUARIUM EXHIBIT DESIGNED FOR BEAK PERFORMANCE.

Byline: Theo Douglas Staff Writer

Ever heard the one about the dad who asks for a discount when he takes his 12 kids to the zoo? He tells the zoo keeper, ``My kids really want to see your elephants.'' And the zoo keeper says, ``No problem; my elephants really want to see your kids.''

Though they're a different species entirely, the same is very much true of the four types of birds in the Lorikeet Forest, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific's recently added exhibit. With their bold colors, raucous, incessant shrieking and pushy brand of friendliness, these parrots of the South Pacific make friends with large groups of children - and vice versa.

After all, it's hard to be afraid of a small shaggy bird that's crab-walking down your arm, unbuttoning your shirt with its beak, or climbing up your purse strap. The Lorikeet Forest is not so much a wildlife exhibit as a family gathering.

It's like a holiday reunion of the clan, with birds playing the parts of blustery uncles, petulant children and a host who must raise his or her voice above the din just to tell everyone that dinner's ready. Which is just what the designers intended.

``We not only want our guests to see, but to touch and interact with the marine life that is so important to our world,'' the aquarium's Future Planning Chairman Doug Otto said of the lorikeet exhibit, which features species that live near the ocean.

Recently, we met up with about 70 4-year-olds from Long Beach Unified School District's Head Start preschool program. The mission: to discover the nectar-swilling lorikeets of the Australian lowlands.

The outdoor aviary swathed with black netting is set up so that folks of all ages can pretend they're explorers. There are a variety of real-looking ``explorer's journal'' entries posted around the exhibit. They share facts about the birds such as their locale, diet and colors - everything from brilliant blues and greens to reds, yellows and iridescent purples.

Before they enter, the kids receive $1 cups of nectar to feed the birds. The children enter in groups of five, passing quickly through two sets of double doors so the birds won't escape. Curious to a fault, these parrots are always exploring. Kids, however, are a different story.

Once inside, birds and children ignore each other briefly. Then they meet. Spotting cups of nectar, lorikeets fly in low, landing on split rail fences and trying to perch on little arms, shoulders and heads. Spooked by these flying feeders, the preschoolers pout.

``We get kids as young as stroller (age),'' says aquarium employee Nicole Diotta. ``For these kids, you want to have them hold (the nectar) up nice and high until they get over the first birds.''

It takes awhile, but the children calm down and begin to hold out their nectar.

The thirsty lorikeets land on their arms and hands. The birds may shriek at each other, vying for the same cup of nectar, but lorikeets are largely inquisitive - not antagonistic.

Lorikeets rarely try to bite, and those who do can only give a little pinch. They're not seed-eaters, like other relatives of the parrot family, so their beaks aren't that strong.

By the end of their session with the birds - roughly 20 minutes, though there's no time limit - most of the children are chattering away again with their teachers.

``She likes it,'' says Long Beach mom Patricia Ramos of her daughter Rosemarie Acevedo, 4. ``She's been excited since over the weekend, when I told her we were coming here. She loves fish and she loves birds.''

LORIKEET FOREST AT THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC 

Where: 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach.

When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Tickets: $16.95 adults, $9.95 children ages 3 to 11, $13.95 seniors ages 60 and over. Kids under 3 get in free.

Information: [phone] or www.aquariumofpacific.org

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Kerlan Menendez, 4, feeds a lorikeet from a cup of nectar at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. The curious, friendly birds, indigenous to the South Pacific, are the stars of a recently added exhibit.

(3 -- color) A lorikeet finds its way to nectar-bearing Richard Rodriguez, 4, a visitor to the Lorikeet Forest. The exhibit uses an explorer's theme, complete with ``journal entries'' that reveal facts about the birds.

(4 -- color) Lorikeets will perch just about anywhere, as 7-year-old Savannah Dalrymple discovered on a walk through the aviary.

(5 -- color) Lovely plumage, lively colors and nonstop squawking distinguish the lorikeet, which, in its natural habitat, lives near the ocean.

Leo Hetzel/Staff Photographer