Western Rosella Platycercus icterotis Scientific name definitions

25–26 cm; 52–80 g. Bill whitish; head and underparts red except for ear-coverts and face below eye yellow, and some green barring on flanks; nape, mantle and scapulars black with red edges, becoming pale green edges with red tips lower down, giving a scaled effect; inner wing-coverts dull green, outer dark blue, black on median coverts; primaries blackish; rump and tail  dark green with outer feathers blue tipped white. Female  has largely green head  with red on forehead, smaller, duller yellow facial patch, much green in breast and no red in mantle; pale underwing stripe. Immature  like female with no yellow in face and little red in underparts. Race xanthogenys has paler yellow face, buff not green in back scaling, rump dull green to greyish olive and tail dull blue.

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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.

Open forest, tree-lined cereal fields, riverine growth such as jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), Banksia and tea-tree thickets , Acacia- Casuarina scrublands, grasslands and orchards.

Seeds of grasses and herbs, with birds visiting stubblefields to pick up grain; fruits, berries, flowers of E. marginata, coating of zamia palm (Macrozamia reidlei) seeds and ripening apples also recorded, and some damage may be done in orchards.

Flight call is a loud, lively “kweenk” or “kwee-kweek!”. When perched also repeats a series of melodious pure whistles, some quite rhythmic, as well as more squabbling phrases.

Aug–Dec. Nest in hollow limb or hole in tree, commonly in salmon gum (E. salmonophloia) and wandoo (E. wandoo). Eggs  3–7, usually 5; incubation lasts 19 days; nestling period c. 5 weeks.

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Relatively common and has benefited from clearance of closed forest. However, numbers may be naturally depressed by <em>Barnardius zonarius</em> , a larger competitor for the same food resources. Moreover, poor regeneration of nest-trees is a long-term cause for concern, and there have been local declines and losses. The species is protected by law, but in two shires an open season has existed to control crop depredations.