I have been observing the semiosis of (wild) rainbow lorikeets since 2001, chiefly in social situations of feeding and bathing. Every social activity is an opportunity for renegotiating the pecking order. Their society has much in common with some baboon societies: hierarchical disputes can be vicious and end in the death of the loser. The chief murderous technique is to pin the opponent on the ground on their back. Survivors of such fights usually have feathers missing from the area around their hearts.