Red-rumped Parrot
Female
Ellura
Mulga Parrot
Immature Male
 
                      
Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Birds (Aves)
Order: Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family: Parrot (Psittacidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Mulga Parrot (Psephotus varius)
This Photo:     HOLLOWS ARE IMPORTANT

Thank you Andrew Allen for confirming the id of this species for us

EXTRA - Photo Specific Information:
Male, tending his nest.
Without tree hollows, mulga's (& others) would die out. Tree hollows can take hundreds of years to form. Significant tree "guidelines" (not legislation) only address trees of more than 1m circumference. Mallee trees have nodules larger than this, and their "trunks" are actually branches. So this puny "trunk" is not considered "significant" by any legal assessment. But it's considered bloody important to our wildlife!

STOP CUTTING DOWN TREES


General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere
Chatty colourful birds which nest in mallee tree hollows.
Iridescent aqua-green with red & yellow highlights, and intense blue wings.
Females are duller than the males, having a red "shoulder". Males have a yellow "shoulder"
Juveniles are distinguished by a lack of yellow above the beak (forehead), and are generally duller.

Copyright © 2014-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 03-Jul-2014
This species is classed as NT (Near Threatened) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)