Habitat
Woodlands, lightly timbered grasslands, partly cleared farmlands, margins of clearings in heavy forest, tree-lined watercourses, mallee, mulga, usually in scattered flocks.
Extreme south-western New South Wales, western Victoria, South Australia, north through the Flinders Ranges. Widespread in south-western Western Australia, north to about the Fortescue River and east to Esperance.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Food
Seeds of grasses and herbaceous plants, occasionally fruits and insects.
Voice
A sharp, squeaky, 'chwit' or 'tzit', uttered in flight. Usually silent when feeding on the ground, but may also give occasional faint, sharp, squeaky chitters like those uttered by fairy-wrens.
Eggs (Guide)
4 or 5; white; rounded; 21 - 22 x 18 mm. Incubation: about 18 days; by female.
Young
Semi-altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in 4 - 5 weeks. They continue to maintain a loose association with their parents while in the flock.
Subspecies
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
elegans (Gould, 1837) - South-eastern SA and western Vic.
carteri (Mathews, 1912) - South-western WA.
Similar Species
Blue-winged Parrot (Neophema chrysostoma)
Similar size. Has deep blue upper and under wing coverts. Dark blue forehead band stops at the eye. Face also yellowish. Has yellow patch behind eye.
Rock Parrot (Neophema petrophila)
Similar size. Lacks the yellow face. Dark blue forehead band, extending just past the eye.
Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster)
Similar size. Has an orange belly, which is not always visible. Occasionally some Elegant Parrot (Neophema elegans) will also show orange on the lower belly.
Compare Images
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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