Scientific Name: Platycercus eximius 

Lifespan: up to 20 years

Weight: 100g

Length: 30cm

Clutch Size: 1-9

Appearance:

They have white cheek patches, Red feathers on the breast, head, neck and undertail. Yellow-Green to blue-green rump, And a Yellow underbody. The shoulders are feathered in Bright Blue. 

Females are duller in colouration than males, as well as young birds. The Bill colour, in young Rosellas are yellow-orange, changing to an off-white when they reach maturity. 

Distribution:

Eastern Rosella, can be found in grasslands, and open woodlands, as well as in gardens and parks.  

Diet:

Buds, fruit, flowers, seeds and some insects and nectar.  

Scientific Name: Platycercus elegans

Lifespan: up to 20 years 

Weight: 120g

Length: 36cm

Clutch Size: 4-8

Appearance:

The main form of the Crimson Rosella, is the one it is named for. It has red (crimson) feathers, and bright blue cheeks. It also has Black feathers on its back that are edged in red. The Wing feathers have blue edges, and the tail is blue from above and pale blue from below.  

The Yellow Rosella (Platycercus elegans flaveolus) has all of the crimson areas, replaced in a light yellow colour. And the tail is more green than blue. 

The Adelaide Rosella (Platycercus elegans adelaidae), has feathers colours that are in between the two. They range from yellow to red to a dark orange. 

Young Crimson Rosellas, have the blue cheek characteristic. Although the remainder of the feathers is green-olive to a yellowish olive. They acquire the adult colouration over a period of 15 months. 

Call:

The Crimson Rosella’s song consists of melodic phrases composed of bell-like notes. Each of the phrases are repeated multiple times. They also have a ‘cussik-cussik’ call, that is brassy and strident when they are in flight. 

Distribution:

The Crimson Rosella is most often found in areas with tall eucalyptus. . 

Diet:

native grass seeds, herbs, fruits and berries, nuts, insect larvae, and flower buds.

Scientific Name: Ocyphaps lophotes

Lifespan: 17 years

Weight: 200 g

Length: 30cm

Clutch Size: 2

Appearance:

It is a stocky pigeon with a thin black crest that is conspicuous. Crested Pigeon has grey-brown feathers, becoming pink underneath. The wings have black bars, and have patches of glossy green and purple. It has a pinkish red ring around the eye.  

Sound:

If startled the crested pigeon takes flight with a whistling sound, caused by air passing over modified feathers on the wings. 

Distribution:

It is found in lightly wooded grasslands in both urban and rural areas. It is most often found in the vicinity of water.  

Diet:

Mostly native seeds, as well as introduced plant species and crops. It will also eat some leaves and insects in small amounts. 

Scientific Name: Phaps chalcoptera

Lifespan: 5 years

Weight: 260-320 g

Length: 28-30cm

Clutch Size: 2

Appearance:

A medium sized bird that appears similar to a heavily built pigeon. Males have a yellow/white forehead and a pink breast. Both genders have a clear white line below and around the eyes, as well as patches of green, blue and red in the wing that are the characteristic of all bronzewings. The young birds are duller and more brown than the adults.  

Sound:

If startled it takes flight with a clatter.  

Distribution:

Common Bronzewing are found in every habitat type, except for barren areas and dense forests.  

Diet:

They eat seeds and vegetable matter that they forage on the ground.  

Scientific Name: Eolophus roseicapilla

Lifespan: 40 years

Weight: 270-350g

Length: 35 cm

Clutch Size: 2-5

Appearance:

They can be identified by the rose-pink head, neck and chest, with a pale pink crown and a grey back, tail and wings. Males have dark irises, and females have a pink iris.  

Distribution:

They are found near water in a variety of timbered habitat. 

Diet:

Wild Galahs eat a mixture that comprises seeds from grasses and herbaceous plants, cereal grain (especially wheat and oats), fruits, berries, nuts, roots, green shoots, leaf buds, blossoms, and insects and their larvae.  

Scientific Name: Cacatua galerita

Lifespan: 20-40 years in the wild; up to 80 years in captivity

Weight: 780g

Length: 50cm

Clutch Size: 1-3

Appearance:

Is a large white parrot, with a dark grey-black bill and a yellow crest, and yellow under the wing. The females have red brown eyes, and males have darker brown coloured eyes. . 

Distribution:

They are found in a variety of timbered habitats, and can commonly be found near urban areas.  

Diet:

They eat a variety of grass seeds, plants, nuts and insects.  

Scientific Name: Psephotus haematonotus

Lifespan: 15-32 years

Weight: 61g

Length: 28cm

Clutch Size: 4-5

Appearance:

They are medium sized, slender birds. THe male is bright green, with a blue-green feathered head, a red rump and its shoulders and belly are yellow. The Female is more dull, with olive-green feathers, and a green rump with faint yellow or light green “scales” on the belly. 

Distribution:

Red-Rumped Parrot are found in open grasslands and lightly timbered plains, as well as mallee farmlands 

Diet:

They eat a variety of seeds and leafy green vegetation but occasionally eat fruits when available.  

1. Many birds, including species of gulls, raptors and ducks, undergo a change in eye colour as they age from juvenile to adult. This is likely an adaptation that helps these birds recognise maturity and therefore suitability of a potential mate.
2. Lorikeets are parrots, but they are not grain eaters, they are nectivores. 
3. There are many bird species that grip food with their feet, but only the parrot holds their food with their feet to their beak while they eat. 
4. The Buff-Faced Pygmy Parrot that can be found in New Britain and New Guinea, is the smallest specie of parrot in the world, at about 3 inches (7.5cm)
5. Many species of Parrots are monogamous, meaning that they live out their life with only one mate. 
6. The Kakapo Parrot is a nocturnal flightless bird that weighs up to 7 pounds (3.2kg), making it the heaviest parrot in the world. 
7. The Kakapo Parrot is one of the rarest parrot species in the world, with 126 known birds left in the wild.
8. The beaks of parrots are used for a wide range of functions (eating, breaking nuts, exploring their surroundings, grooming), therefore their beaks are extremely strong. Some of the larger species of parrots are able to break open the hard shell of a Brazil nut. [The Parrot biting force is measured from 300 psi to 2000 psi. Whereas humans have a biting force of 150 psi]
9. Most parrot species lay an average of 2-8 eggs per clutch. Where both the male and the female parents take turns sitting on them. They take approximately 18-30 days to incubate. And will not start to develop feathers until about 3 weeks after hatching