Rare. Thought to be extinct. A dried specimen was discovered on a Qld roadside (near Boulia) in 1990. There has been a recent report (November 2006) of another dead specimen in the Diamantina Lakes region of western Qld. John Young has recently announced several sightings over the past couple years in western Queensland and presented evidence (including calls, video, feathers, DNA) for its existence at a forum at the Queensland Museum on July, 3, 2013.
Habitat
Spinifex, samphire bushes on margins of salt lakes. Nocturnal, seeking cover in tussocks of spinifex during the day.
Murnea Rockholes: AFAIK there are three major rockholes at Murnea. The largest measures around 3x1x1m, and has been filled with sand and clay for many years: this is, presumably, the waterhole that was attractive to the Night Parrots. Digging into this hole will still yield water. The other two major rockholes still hold water on a regular basis, but not permanently. Each is around 1x0.3x0.5m deep. Unlike the biggest waterhole, the two smaller ones have very steep sides, unless they are filled to capacity. Large stones in the smaller rockholes allow cockatoos to drink, even when the water is low: the water, by then, is none too sweet, being flavoured by the decomposition products of mammal and bird droppings.
The rockholes at Murnea are within a km of the shores of Lake Gairdner, and are surrounded by a belt of sand-dunes which carry a diverse range of vegetation, from mallee and mulga associations to teatree swamps (wet perhaps one year in one hundred) and a small spinifex flat. There are many aboriginal artifacts close to the rockholes, which were, presumably, being used to water sheep at the time when Andrews collected the Night Parrots. SA AFL 04/04
Australia. Restricted and scattered localities in Central Australia, northern South Australia, and inland Western Australia. Probably also western Queensland and western New South Wales.
Population
Estimated population is 50 - 249 (2013) and decreasing.
Status EN
The species was rediscovered in 2005 in the Pilbara region of Western Australia after there having been no confirmed records since 1990. A dead juvenile was also found in Diamantina National Park, Queensland in 2006.
Predation by feral cats and foxes, altered fire regimes, competition for food, degradation of habitat near water by stock or rabbits, and reduced availability of water as a result of over-use by feral camels are the main threats.
Habits
Terrestrial, nocturnal and secretive. Seldom seen. Singly, in pairs or in small groups. Reported to roost by day in cavity of a spinifex clump.
Food
Very poorly known. Probably seeds of grasses and herbaceous plants.
Voice
A sharp squeak when flushed. A short, sharp whistle in contact. An alarm call that is both distinctive and diagnostic. SA AFL 04/04. Young begging for food give squawking calls.
Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) [XC352824]
by Nigel Jackett from Winton, Queensland, Australia (alarm call, call)
Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) [XC380407]
by id from Little Sandy Desert, Shire of Wiluna, Western Australia, Australia (call)
Breeding Season (Guide)
July - August, and after rain.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Nest
A depression in the ground, usually under spinifex, or on a platform in samphire bush.
Eggs (Guide)
2 - 4 or 5; white; oval; about 25 x 20 mm.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Similar Species
Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) which, though superficially similar, has longer claws, an orange-red forehead, barred under-belly, a longer tail and different range, preferring wet coastal heathlands, Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) which is smaller, has a longer tail, and non-nocturnal habits.
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
BirdLife International Species Factsheet