At rest the lorikeet's tongue looks unremarkable. When the bird feeds, fine papillae along the tip lift and spread, forming a brush that is dabbed rapidly into a flower. Nectar is drawn up between the erected filaments and pollen adheres to them, and both are swallowed.
The rest of the gut matches. Lorikeets have a relatively short digestive tract and a reduced, thin-walled gizzard compared with granivorous parrots, which suits a liquid and pollen diet passing through quickly. Pollen, not nectar, supplies most of the protein; nectar supplies the energy. Birds fed on seed alone in captivity do poorly, and lorikeet husbandry is built around wet or powdered nectar substitutes.
A persistent misconception is that lorikeets suck nectar through a tube. They do not. The tongue is a mop rather than a straw, and feeding is a rapid dabbing action rather than suction.