Several native bird species have recently successfully colonized many Australian cities. The presence of some of them may be largely beneficial, but their urban ecology is poorly understood. We conducted short-term studies of the foraging ecology of Rainbow and Musk Lorikeets and Red-rumped Parrots in Melbourne parklands to help fill this knowledge gap. The nectar (and/or pollen) of six eucalypt species, mostly not native to the Melbourne area, strongly dominated the lorikeets' diet year-round. The key eucalypt species variously flowered for 80-100% of winter and 72-84% of summer. In winter, 80% of the Red-rumped Parrot's diet comprised the abundant seeds of four exotic grasses and herbs. There was little evidence of significant inter-specific competition, particularly through aggressive interference, for any of the lorikeets' or parrots' urban food resources. Thus a critical factor facilitating urban colonization by these birds seems to be that, collectively, ornamental eucalypts planted last century, turf grasses commonly occurring on sports grounds and in parks and common weeds provide abundant food resources in Melbourne's parklands that are broadly similar to those of their non-urban habitats. Moreover, exploitation of these resources by other urban birds seems to be fairly limited.