Abundant throughout Australia, including suburbs of cities.
Habitat
Rainforests, eucalypt forests, fern gullies. Alpine and other woodlands. farmlands, timbered watercourses, coastal scrubs, roadsides, parks and gardens.
Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) [XC146130]
by Marc Anderson from Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia (flight call)
Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) [XC720734]
by Khristos Nizamis from Brown's Waterhole, City of Ryde, New South Wales, Australia (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Mainly October - December.
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Nest
In a hole of a tree.
Eggs (Guide)
Clutch Size: 4 - 8, usually 5
Color: cream-white
Dimensions: 27 - 30 x 22 - 34 mm (rounded)
Incubation: 19 - 21 days by female
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Remain with the parents for a further 30 days or so before disbanding.
Fledge: 35 days
Subspecies
Subspecies fall into three distinct groups, which have at times been considered distinct species. They are:
CRIMSON TYPES ('Crimson Rosella', nominate elegans and subspecies nigriscens and melatoptera)
YELLOW TYPES ('Yellow Rosella', flaveolus)
ADELAIDE TYPES ('Adelaide Rosella', fleurieuensis, adelaidae and subadelaidae)
Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) and Yellow Rosella (Platycercus flaveolus) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Platycercus elegans following Christidis and Boles (1994) and Turbott (1990).
The following 8 subspecies are recognised:
elegans (Gmelin, 1788) - Eastern and southern Australia from Blackall Ranges, southern Queensland through New South Wales, ACT, eastern and southern Victoria, west to around Kingston south-east, south-eastern SA.
nigrescens Ramsay, EP, 1888 - Northern Queensland from Cairns to south of Bowen, and west to Ravenshoe.
melanopterus North, 1906 - Kangaroo Island.
flaveolus Gould, 1837 - Riverine inland southern New South Wales, east to Yass and Gundagai, along the Murray River in northern Vic and south to Mannum in SA. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Yellow Rosella (Platycercus flaveolus).
fleurieuensis Ashby, 1917 - Fleurieu Peninsula, SA.
adelaidae Gould, 1840 - Mt Lofty Ranges, SA from just south of Adelaide north to about Clare.
subadelaidae Mathews, 1912 - Southern Flinders Ranges, south to near Gladstone.
Similar Species
Australian King-Parrot (Alisterus scapularis), which does not have a blue cheek patch and is more green on the back and wings.
References
See References.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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