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gemfyreThis is probably an edition everyone's looking forward to, because everyone seems to love parrots. They're gregarious and pretty and easy to see and identify. But you may be surprised to discover that there are more parrots in the metro area than you think, and the majority of them are dwindling rapidly due to one particular introduced parrot...
Rainbow Lorikeet - Trichoglossus haematodus
Photo by mozza29 of Birdforum.
The Rainbow Lorikeet is a bane to any hollow nesting species in the south-west. The rumour is that a mere six of these fellows were released from UWA in the 60's and they have been expanding ever since. The gene pool has probably been expanded by released pet birds as well. When I was living in Greenmount from 1990 to 2004, I only started seeing Rainbow Lorikeets in the last year or two of that stay, now Lorikeets are as commonplace in the hills as they are on the coastal plain. They are agressive and push native parrots out of hollows (I've seen it happen to a poor Elegant Parrot in John Forrest National Park). They are also extremely noisy and congregate in huge flocks to roost - you may be familar with the massive roosts at Perth Airport and Cottesloe Beach. They have only recently been declared a pest because they are about to pose a threat to fruit farmers. Nevermind the terrible ecological damage already done, it took potential economic ruin to start taking some action, but now it's probably way too late. Another big issue with Lorikeet control is the fact that people don't want them culled. Rainbow Lorikeets are pretty! Everybody loves seeing them. I counter this with the fact that our native (and often endemic) South-West parrots are just as pretty, if not prettier, and they are being driven to oblivion by the Rainbow Lorikeet.
So, in case you're not familiar, how do you identify these rogues?
- Bright colours. Green back, red/yellow chest, blue head, red beak.
- Very noisy and gregarious. It's rare to see just one Rainbow Lorikeet. Their calls range from grating noises to metallic shrieks.
- Rapid, high, straight flight pattern. Large flocks congregating in the evening may fly in more looping shapes.
- Feed on nectar and fruit, not nuts. They have specialised brush tongues to lap up nectar. This makes them even more abundant among flowering trees.
The metro area does have one native "green" parrot that is still quite common.
Australian Ringneck - Barnardius zonarius
Photo by Rhizanthella of Birdforum.
Commonly known as the "28" these fellows are still common and easy to see. There are various rumours about how they came to be known as 28s. Some say it's because their call sounds like "twenty-eight", I have yet to hear this call among their large repetoire. Some say farmers used .28s to shoot them. I don't know which is true. Now, there are 4 sub-species of ringneck in Australia (which are sometimes considered full species). In the South-West two are found (zonarius, the Port Lincoln Ringneck and semitorquatus, the 28), and they often interbreed, creating parrots with features of both subspecies. Both can be indentified by...
- Generally green plumage with dark blue-black head and yellow ring around the neck.
- Various calls, including a two-note whistle (often punctuated with wagging of the tail) and a trill often likened to a telephone.
- Dipping flight.
- A penchant for destroying green marri nuts. If you find green nuts torn to pieces on the ground you know that ringnecks have been about.
- The Port Lincoln Ringneck subspecies has a green breast and yellow belly whereas the 28 has a fully green belly. The 28 also has a small patch of red feathers above the beak. The birds pictured are 28s. The Ringneck is still holding it's own in the metro area, but is under threat from the Rainbow Lorikeet. One species not doing quite so well is the...
Red-capped Parrot - Purpureicephalus spurius
The Red-capped Parrot is now quite rare on the coastal plain but is still relatively common in the Darling Range, where it feeds primarily on Marri nuts. Look for brown nuts on the ground with small crescent shapes around the top of the nut - this indicates that Red-capped Parrots have been feeding (by the way, if you see crescent markings halfway down the nut, it's the telltale sign of the Baudin's Cockatoo). The Red-capped Parrot is ridiculously colourful, perhaps even moreso than the Rainbow Lorikeet. It is a South-west endemic and like all our native parrots, under threat from the Rainbow Lorikeet which is steadily moving further east into the marri forests of the Darling Range. Look for -
- Almost garish colouring. Green back, red cap and vent, chartruese yellow cheeks and rump, purple breast. Females and juvenilles have the same colour patterning, but it is a lot more drab. Despite their colouring they can be tough to see high in the Marri trees.
- Their chattering call almost sounds like a laugh to me, especially when it follows a few Marri nuts pinging off my parent's tin roof.
- Usually found in pairs or small groups.
Because I know how everyone loves parrots I figured I'd post a couple more species. You'll be very lucky to see these guys in the metro area these days, but they can still be seen occasionally in the outer suburbs and in the hills.
Purple-crowned Lorikeet - Glossopsitta porphyrocephala
Photo by dearis of Birdforum.
A tiny lorikeet now only really common further afield. I have never seen them close to Perth. They are very hard to get a good look at, often flying very high and emitting a high-pitched, metallic zitting call.
Elegant Parrot - Neophema elegans
Photo by Mike Bouette of Birdforum.
I often see Elegant Parrots in the Darling Ranges and have even had the pleasure of seeing on at Herdsman Lake during a bird walk (a sighting everyone got very excited about). They are one of the grass parrots and thus often seen near the ground in the grass. They are an olive green with blue on the wing edges and tail and across the forehead. They are about half the size of a Ringneck Parrot.
Regent Parrot - Polytelis anthopeplus
Photo by Tannin of Birdforum.
Farmers used to call these parrots "Smokers", I'm not quite sure why. Regent Parrots can still be found in heavily wooded areas around Perth. The subspecies in Western Australia is yellower than the birds pictured, which are from the eastern side of the country. They are similar in size to a Ringneck and their pink/red bills are unmistakable. They often fly around in small flocks emitting a querrulous call.
Western Rosella - Platycercus icterotis
Photo by Mike Bouette of Birdforum.
This iconic, endemic species is becoming increasingly rare (but can still be seen in the Darling Ranges if you're lucky). The arid-land sub-species (which has a blacker back) is in real trouble due to land clearing. The Western Rosella is a little smaller than a Ringneck and has a very similar call. It's bright red head and breast give it away though. It is the only yellow-cheeked rosella (other rosellas in Australia have white or blue cheeks).
Rainbow Lorikeet - Trichoglossus haematodus
Photo by mozza29 of Birdforum.
The Rainbow Lorikeet is a bane to any hollow nesting species in the south-west. The rumour is that a mere six of these fellows were released from UWA in the 60's and they have been expanding ever since. The gene pool has probably been expanded by released pet birds as well. When I was living in Greenmount from 1990 to 2004, I only started seeing Rainbow Lorikeets in the last year or two of that stay, now Lorikeets are as commonplace in the hills as they are on the coastal plain. They are agressive and push native parrots out of hollows (I've seen it happen to a poor Elegant Parrot in John Forrest National Park). They are also extremely noisy and congregate in huge flocks to roost - you may be familar with the massive roosts at Perth Airport and Cottesloe Beach. They have only recently been declared a pest because they are about to pose a threat to fruit farmers. Nevermind the terrible ecological damage already done, it took potential economic ruin to start taking some action, but now it's probably way too late. Another big issue with Lorikeet control is the fact that people don't want them culled. Rainbow Lorikeets are pretty! Everybody loves seeing them. I counter this with the fact that our native (and often endemic) South-West parrots are just as pretty, if not prettier, and they are being driven to oblivion by the Rainbow Lorikeet.
So, in case you're not familiar, how do you identify these rogues?
- Bright colours. Green back, red/yellow chest, blue head, red beak.
- Very noisy and gregarious. It's rare to see just one Rainbow Lorikeet. Their calls range from grating noises to metallic shrieks.
- Rapid, high, straight flight pattern. Large flocks congregating in the evening may fly in more looping shapes.
- Feed on nectar and fruit, not nuts. They have specialised brush tongues to lap up nectar. This makes them even more abundant among flowering trees.
The metro area does have one native "green" parrot that is still quite common.
Australian Ringneck - Barnardius zonarius
Photo by Rhizanthella of Birdforum.
Commonly known as the "28" these fellows are still common and easy to see. There are various rumours about how they came to be known as 28s. Some say it's because their call sounds like "twenty-eight", I have yet to hear this call among their large repetoire. Some say farmers used .28s to shoot them. I don't know which is true. Now, there are 4 sub-species of ringneck in Australia (which are sometimes considered full species). In the South-West two are found (zonarius, the Port Lincoln Ringneck and semitorquatus, the 28), and they often interbreed, creating parrots with features of both subspecies. Both can be indentified by...
- Generally green plumage with dark blue-black head and yellow ring around the neck.
- Various calls, including a two-note whistle (often punctuated with wagging of the tail) and a trill often likened to a telephone.
- Dipping flight.
- A penchant for destroying green marri nuts. If you find green nuts torn to pieces on the ground you know that ringnecks have been about.
- The Port Lincoln Ringneck subspecies has a green breast and yellow belly whereas the 28 has a fully green belly. The 28 also has a small patch of red feathers above the beak. The birds pictured are 28s. The Ringneck is still holding it's own in the metro area, but is under threat from the Rainbow Lorikeet. One species not doing quite so well is the...
Red-capped Parrot - Purpureicephalus spurius
The Red-capped Parrot is now quite rare on the coastal plain but is still relatively common in the Darling Range, where it feeds primarily on Marri nuts. Look for brown nuts on the ground with small crescent shapes around the top of the nut - this indicates that Red-capped Parrots have been feeding (by the way, if you see crescent markings halfway down the nut, it's the telltale sign of the Baudin's Cockatoo). The Red-capped Parrot is ridiculously colourful, perhaps even moreso than the Rainbow Lorikeet. It is a South-west endemic and like all our native parrots, under threat from the Rainbow Lorikeet which is steadily moving further east into the marri forests of the Darling Range. Look for -
- Almost garish colouring. Green back, red cap and vent, chartruese yellow cheeks and rump, purple breast. Females and juvenilles have the same colour patterning, but it is a lot more drab. Despite their colouring they can be tough to see high in the Marri trees.
- Their chattering call almost sounds like a laugh to me, especially when it follows a few Marri nuts pinging off my parent's tin roof.
- Usually found in pairs or small groups.
Because I know how everyone loves parrots I figured I'd post a couple more species. You'll be very lucky to see these guys in the metro area these days, but they can still be seen occasionally in the outer suburbs and in the hills.
Purple-crowned Lorikeet - Glossopsitta porphyrocephala
Photo by dearis of Birdforum.
A tiny lorikeet now only really common further afield. I have never seen them close to Perth. They are very hard to get a good look at, often flying very high and emitting a high-pitched, metallic zitting call.
Elegant Parrot - Neophema elegans
Photo by Mike Bouette of Birdforum.
I often see Elegant Parrots in the Darling Ranges and have even had the pleasure of seeing on at Herdsman Lake during a bird walk (a sighting everyone got very excited about). They are one of the grass parrots and thus often seen near the ground in the grass. They are an olive green with blue on the wing edges and tail and across the forehead. They are about half the size of a Ringneck Parrot.
Regent Parrot - Polytelis anthopeplus
Photo by Tannin of Birdforum.
Farmers used to call these parrots "Smokers", I'm not quite sure why. Regent Parrots can still be found in heavily wooded areas around Perth. The subspecies in Western Australia is yellower than the birds pictured, which are from the eastern side of the country. They are similar in size to a Ringneck and their pink/red bills are unmistakable. They often fly around in small flocks emitting a querrulous call.
Western Rosella - Platycercus icterotis
Photo by Mike Bouette of Birdforum.
This iconic, endemic species is becoming increasingly rare (but can still be seen in the Darling Ranges if you're lucky). The arid-land sub-species (which has a blacker back) is in real trouble due to land clearing. The Western Rosella is a little smaller than a Ringneck and has a very similar call. It's bright red head and breast give it away though. It is the only yellow-cheeked rosella (other rosellas in Australia have white or blue cheeks).
