Night Parrot |
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Also known as: Spinifex Parrot, Nocturnal Ground Parrot
Illustration of Night Parrots
© Biodiversity Heritage Library [Public Domain] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The Night Parrot was presumed extinct until it was rediscovered in 1979, when four birds were seen in northern S Australia. It was then not seen again until 1990, then the 2000s.Academic Research
Related publications: Pezoporus occidentalisSpecies Profile
Genus: Pezoporus | Species: occidentalis
Size:
23cm (9 in)
Weight:
Probably 100g.
Subspecies including nominate:
one
Colour Adult:
Both adults yellow/green in colour mottled with dark brown, black and yellow; yellow/green foreneck, breast and flanks with black and yellow barring; bright yellow abdomen and undertail coverts; pale yellow on flight feathers forming underwing stripe; dark brown tail barred with yellow. Bill grey/brown. Eye black.
Colour Juvenile:
Reported to be duller than adults with yellow on throat and neck.
Call:
Calls are described as low, two-note whistle when alighting at water source at night; emits squeak when startled, and strange croaking note when alarmed.
Listen NowVideo Links:
Video 1 | Video 2More Information:
Avibase
Bush Heritage Australia
Article: Night Parrot sighting in Western Australia shocks the birdwatching world
Content Sources:
CITES
BirdLife International
Bush Heritage Australia
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
xeno-canto Night Parrot, Murphy, Steve XC352826
Vanished and Vanishing Parrots, Forshaw, 2017.
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006. 2010 edition
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Illustration of Night Parrots
© Biodiversity Heritage Library [Public Domain] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The Night Parrot was presumed extinct until it was rediscovered in 1979, when four birds were seen in northern S Australia. It was then not seen again until 1990, then the 2000s.Academic Research
Related publications: Pezoporus occidentalisSpecies Care
Captive Status:
Not seen in aviculture.
Longevity:
Not recorded.
Housing:
Not recorded.
Diet:
Seed mix such as: grass, millet, canary, oats and niger, wild bird food, weed seeds and hemp; small amounts of sunflower; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, dandelion, chickweed, sowthistle; eggfood and soft insect food.
Enrichment:
Not recorded.
Nest Box Size:
Not recorded.
Clutch Size:
4-5
Incubation Time:
Not recorded.
Fledging Age:
Not recorded.
Hatch Weight:
Not recorded.
Peak Weight:
Not recorded.
Weaning Weight:
Not recorded.
Illustration of Night Parrots
© Biodiversity Heritage Library [Public Domain] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The Night Parrot was presumed extinct until it was rediscovered in 1979, when four birds were seen in northern S Australia. It was then not seen again until 1990, then the 2000s.Academic Research
Related publications: Pezoporus occidentalisSpecies Wild Status
World Population:
About 200 (2021)
IUCN Red List Status:
Critically Endangered
CITES Listing:
Appendix I
Threat Summary:
Assessing the species' status is difficult because of its nocturnal habits and desolate environment. It is believed that threats to the species vary across its range and may include predation by feral mammals, erosion and soil disturbance by domestic animals, food competition, disease, illegal capture and reduced water availability.
Range:
Seen in scattered areas in arid interior of mainland Australia; recent reports from W Queensland.
Habitat:
Found in areas that are a combination of samphire flats with nearby lake systems and Spinifex sandplains. Also seen in mulga and saltbush habitats, with large freshwater pools, rocky areas with Spinifex, margins of salt lakes and grassy areas.
Wild Diet:
Seeds of Spinifex and various grasses including possibly Enneapogon purpurascens. Succulents are taken for water. May take fruits and green shoots of chenopods.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Usually solitary, active and ground dwelling; by day hides quietly in Spinifex vegetation where it is difficult to spot. Becomes active after dusk, where at least one bird was tracked flying up to 7km to foraging areas. There is evidence that they obtain moisture from succulents like Sclerolaena sp. May be sedentary in areas of favourable habitat.
Clutch and Egg Size:
4-5 eggs, 25.0 x 19.5mm (1.0 x 0.8 in).
Breeding Season:
April-June; nest is a platform of sticks in an enlarged cavity burrowed into dense tussock grass.
Related Links:
Illustration of Night Parrots
© Biodiversity Heritage Library [Public Domain] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
The Night Parrot was presumed extinct until it was rediscovered in 1979, when four birds were seen in northern S Australia. It was then not seen again until 1990, then the 2000s.Academic Research
Related publications: Pezoporus occidentalisMembers Only Resources
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