Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius Scientific name definitions

30 cm; 90–120 g. Bill whitish, with white lower cheeks and chin; rest of head and breast red, upper belly yellow, lower belly pale green, undertail-coverts red; mantle, back and scapulars black edged yellow  , creating scaled effect ; median wing-coverts black, lesser wing-coverts, outer secondary coverts and flight-feathers edged grey-blue; tail bottle green centrally, with outer feathers blue-grey tipped white. Female has duller red head and pale underwing  stripe. Immature  like female with green to back of head  . Race <em>cecilae</em> has darker red head , richer yellow on back , blue-green rump; diemenensis  has larger cheek patches, darker red head.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Introduced (probably nominate race) to New Zealand.

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SUBSPECIES

Platycercus eximius elecica Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SE Queensland and NE New South Wales.

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SUBSPECIES

Platycercus eximius eximius Scientific name definitions

Distribution

extreme SE South Australia E to S and E New South Wales and Victoria.

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SUBSPECIES

Platycercus eximius diemenensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Tasmania.

• Green x Eastern Rosella (hybrid) Platycercus caledonicus x eximius
• Crimson x Eastern Rosella (hybrid) Platycercus elegans x eximius
• Eastern x Pale-headed Rosella (hybrid) Platycercus eximius x adscitus

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Lightly wooded landscapes  including savanna woodland, mallee, open forest, riverine growth, farmland, gardens and parks , up to 1250 m; preference in Victoria for Banksia woodlands and Eucalyptus camaldulensis associations.

Wide range of plant species  used, with 82 recorded in one study. Seeds of Eucalyptus and Acacia are particularly favoured, with seeds of many shrubs and grasses also taken, e.g. Capsella bursapastoris, Cerastium vulgatum, Melilotus alba, Onopordon acanthium, Carduus marionus, Hypochaeris radicata, Actinotus helianthi, Amaranthus and Oxalis; sometimes extracts seeds from dung. Other food recorded includes berries of Pyracantha and Crataegus, eucalypt blossoms, Populus leaf-buds, Gazania leaves, insects and their eggs and larvae, Schedotrioza psyllids (animal material notably in Jul); commonly takes spilt grain in farmyards and at roadsides, and can be a pest in orchards.

Flight call is a loud emphatic “keet!” or “chee-cheet!”, repeated in loose series. When perched utters rather melodious squabbling phrases and a series of repeated pure whistles such as a very fast “beebeebeebeep!” or a descending “pee-pee-pee-pee-peu-peu”.

Aug–Feb, occasionally Apr–May. Nest  in hollow limb or hole  in tree, generally a eucalypt, or in stump, fence post, fallen log, rabbit burrow, enlarged tunnel of Rainbow Bee-eater (Merops ornatus), disused hole of Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae) in an arboreal termitarium, elkhorn fern on side of house, rock face, buildings and even a deserted nest of a babbler (Pomatostomus). In New Zealand, 66·7% of nests in Vitex lucens trees and 28·6% in dead tree ferns (Cyathea); nest holes at 3–12 m above the ground (2 Galbraith, J.A., Clout, M.N. and Hauber, M.A. (2014). Nest-site use by an introduced parrot in New Zealand. Emu. 114: 97–105. Close ). Eggs  4–9, usually 5; incubation lasts 19 days; nestling |Chicks at nest  period c. 35 days.

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Extremely common in most of range, but only locally numerous in Tasmania. Has benefited from clearance of forested areas for pasture and cereal cultivation.