In 1751 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the red lory in the fourth volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds.

Edwards based his hand-coloured etching on a stuffed specimen that he had purchased from a toyshop in London.

[2] When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition, he placed the red lory with the other parrots in the genus Psittacus.

Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Psittacus borneus and cited Edwards' work.

[3] The red lory is now one of six species placed in the genus Eos that was introduced by the German naturalist Johann Georg Wagler in 1832.

[6] There is some uncertainty as to whether Edwards' plate actually depicts a red lory and the binomial name Eos rubra (Gmelin, 1788) has sometimes been used for this species.

A defining characteristic of a Lory is their brush tongues with papillae at the tips to help them feed on pollen and nectar.

[14] The subspecies, Buru red lory (Eos bornea cyanonothus) is darker, more maroon in colour, and is often confused in captivity with the nominate.

Inadvertent interbreeding between the two subspecies has made a clear identification difficult for pet owners as hybrids can be found.

Lories are very intelligent, trainable, affectionate, playful and curious and they can display interesting behaviors.

Young birds must be socialized and exposed to new people and new things (new cages, toys, vet visits, wing and nail clippings).