Eastern Regent Parrot
Head
Ellura
Eastern Regent Parrot
6 Perched in a Mallee
 
                      
Eastern Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus ssp monarchoides)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Birds (Aves)
Order: Parrots (Psittaciformes)
Family: Parrot (Psittacidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Eastern Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus ssp monarchoides)
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Thank you Ralph Foster for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Riverland and elsewhere
A beautiful parrot (similar in size to our Ringnecks) with the males being golden yellow. Females & juveniles are olive green. They have very dark blue (almost black) wings (with red patches) and tail that contrasts starkly with the yellows & green. Like a cherry that tops off a fruit salad; they have a large red beak.
It is believed we only get the males & immatures here, as the males forage for food to take back to the nesting females. They travel here in a creche in the morning, returning to their nests in the afternoon. This year (Nov, 2018) the've been returning in the PM as well, we've had a drought so perhaps struggling to find enough food
Due to our observations & photos, Beyeria opaca has been added to their food list.
Normally only visiting from October, due to the very wet summer/autumn we saw them in May this year (2014).
We've looked at the food they eat. They seem to eat the green nuts, with dried ones readily falling off the bush with their feeding disturbance. We also found some green fruit on the ground where the nut wouldn't come out, so assume they were too green. Very few dried shells on the ground, most were whole, indicating they don't try the dry fruit very much. When we opened this dry one, it was VERY tough and hard to open, perhaps too much for the parrots.

Copyright © 2013-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 13-Oct-2013
This species is classed as EN (Endangered) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)
This species is protected and classed as VU (Vulnerable) under the National Parks & Wildlife, SA, Protection Act