Eastern Ground Parrot
Also known as:
Swamp Parrot, Buttongrass Parrot
Also known as:
Swamp Parrot, Buttongrass Parrot
DID YOU KNOW?
Ground parrots will tend to occupy their favourite habitats (heathland) one year after fire has been through, begin nesting in 4 years, are at peak populations between 8 to 10 years and then decline, with total abandonment of an area after 20 years.
Size:
30 cm (11.7 in)
Weight:
68-83 g (2.4-3 oz)
Subspecies including nominate:
one
Colour Adult:
Slim, bright green parrot with long tail and red frontal band.
Male-bright green dotted with black and yellow; orange/red frontal band; green cheeks, ear coverts and throat down to the breast, with black streaking on the feathers; abdomen to flanks and undertail coverts green/yellow, barred across black/brown; pale yellow spot on primary feathers and two spots on secondary feathers which form stripes; tail green barred with yellow and brown/black. Beak brown/grey, eye yellow. Female-as in male but with black shaft streaking to feathers of cheeks, ear coverts and throat to the breast.
Colour Juvenile:
As in adults but duller yellow/green with orange frontal band absent; feathers of cheeks, ear coverts and throat to breast black in centre. Tail shorter. Eye brown.
Call:
Calls before dawn and after sunset, with three or four bell sounding notes followed by sharper notes on ascending scale and terminating with drawn-out note.
More Information:
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
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1989. 2010 edition
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Captive Status:
Not found in captivity outside of Australia.
Longevity:
—
Housing:
Spacious outdoor flight (in warm climates).
Diet:
Seed mix of grasses and millets, canary grass seed, some oats, niger; wild bird food, weed seeds and hemp; millet sprays; greens (chickweed, thistle, dandelion, kale); soft foods such as eggs and insects for rearing.
Enrichment:
—
Nest Box Size:
—
Clutch Size:
2 to 6
Fledging Age:
20-28 days
Hatch Weight:
—
Peak Weight:
—
Weaning Weight:
—
World Population:
About 100,000 (mainly in stronghold Tasmania), decreasing.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix I
Threat Summary:
Affected by loss of habitat through urban or agricultural development and fire, therefore their range is fragmented. Fires in 2019–2020 wiped out an estimated 18% of the population.
Range:
Scattered along coastal SE Australia from Fraser Island and Maryborough district in SE Queensland, south to S Victoria and possibly SE S Australia; also Tasmania, Hunter Island and formerly Flinders Island in Bass Strait.
Habitat:
Found in both heathland and sedgeland; temperate and subtropical shrubby heath with thick cover.
Wild Diet:
Feed on a variety of seeds but mainly Restionaceae, plus leaves, shoots and small insects.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Mainly sedentary and live in pairs, protecting their territories. Is active through the day with peak periods at dawn, mid-morning and late afternoon. Feeds on the ground.
Clutch and Egg Size:
2 to 6 slightly spherical eggs, 28.0 x 22.0 mm (1.1 x 0.8 in).
Breeding Season:
Probably July-December. Nest is a shallow scrape in soil lined with stalks or leaves, in the base of a grass tussock or bush and hidden in a tunnel of vegetation.
