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Bourke’s Parrot

 (Neopsephotus bourkii)

Also known as: Bourke's Grass-Parakeet, Pink-bellied Parakeet, Blue-vented Parakeet, Sundown Parrot, Night Parrot

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Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.

Academic Research

Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkii

Species Profile

Genus: Neopsephotus | Species: bourkii

Size:

19cm (7.5 in)

Weight:

40-50g

Subspecies including nominate:

one

Colour Adult:

Male-upperparts olive/brown; blue forehead; line above eyes blue; face gray/white; grey/pink throat and lower cheeks, upper cheeks olive/brown; grey/brown breast with grey/pink wide edging; rose/pink abdomen; blue tail coverts and rump; dark brown upper wing coverts and outer secondary feathers, margined with yellow/white; underwing band minimal or absent; black/brown tail with wide tip. Bill grey. Eye dark brown.  Female-in general duller than male with paler pink underparts and paler blue sides of rump; blue on forehead and above eyes absent or minimal; has pale underwing band.

Colour Juvenile:

As in adult female but duller with pale underwing band which is less pronounced in male juvenile.

Call:

Calls made in flight are mellow notes or plaintive warblings. Calls are softer and higher pitched than that of the Budgerigar, whose calls are similar.

Listen Now

Video Links:

Video 1 | Video 2

More Information:

Avibase

Content Sources:

CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
ML Media Collection Catalogue 8518, Bourke's Parrot Neophema bourkii, Priori, Andrea, New York, US, Feb. 23 1972, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Site
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977. 2010 edition
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.

Academic Research

Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkii

Species Care

Captive Status:

Common

Longevity:

12 yrs

Housing:

Walk-in enclosure, minimum length 2.1m (6.9 ft) or indoor suspended aviary minimum length 1.8m (6 ft).

Diet:

Small seed mix such as: canary, millet and smaller amounts of oats, buckwheat, safflower and hemp; limited sunflower seed; millet spray; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, sowthistle, dandelion, chickweed; seeding grasses; rearing foods made from hard-boiled egg, wholegrain bread and carrot, all ground up and mixed to crumbly consistency; fruit such as: apple, pear, banana, grapes, pomegranate, cactus fruits; complete kibble.

Enrichment:

Provide safe seeding grasses if possible, branches for climbing, areas for bathing.

Nest Box Size:

10" x 10" x 16" (25.4cm x 25.4cm x 40.6cm) vertical box.

Clutch Size:

4-5

Incubation Time:

18-19 days

Fledging Age:

30 days

Hatch Weight:

Not recorded.

Peak Weight:

Not recorded.

Weaning Weight:

Not recorded.

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.

Academic Research

Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkii

Species Wild Status

World Population:

Unknown, increasing.

IUCN Red List Status:

Least Concern

CITES Listing:

Appendix II

Threat Summary:

Not globally threatened. Fairly common and apparently increasing, likely owing to the introduction of stock-watering installations. Also possibly due to a reduction in sheep numbers or a change in ground vegetation to herbs.

Range:

Found in the interior of central and southern Australia in two restricted populations.

Habitat:

Occur in drier inland areas preferring open mulga Acacia aneura and Eucalyptus woodland. Also seen in riverine woodland and Callitris scrub.

Wild Diet:

Eats grass seeds, particularly wind grass, grass and herb shoots and seeds of Acacia, Bassia and Cassia.

Ecology and Behaviour:

Is nomadic; will arrive in an area and remain there for a few years before disappearing completely. Up to a thousand birds may be seen during at watering holes during dry spells. Are rapid fliers, travelling low through scrub to visit watering areas. Are quiet and shy while resting in pairs or flocks in vegetation.

Clutch and Egg Size:

4-5 rounded eggs, 20.0 x 16.5mm (0.8 x 0.6 in)

Breeding Season:

August-December; nest is in tree cavity.

Related Links:

Research: The intensity threshold of colour vision in two species of parrot

Click photo to visit gallery

Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr

Did You Know?

This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.

Academic Research

Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkii

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