Mulga Parrot Psephotellus varius Scientific name definitions

27–28 cm; 53–70 g. Predominantly bright green, but with yellow frontal band  , red hindcrown, yellow lesser wing coverts, dark blue on outer wing coverts, blackish primaries, belly  to undertail coverts yellow with orange markings , yellowish green band and red patch on rump and uppertail coverts respectively, tail dark blue washed green, outer feathers blue tipped white. Female much drabber olive-green  , becoming paler on belly , with red lesser wing coverts ; pale underwing stripe. Immature like female but duller.

Forms exsul and ethelae considered undiagnosable. Monotypic.

South-central Australia from extreme west to interior southeast.

Lightly wooded grasslands, mallee, arid scrublands  , with range largely coincident with that of mulga Acacia aneura, albeit in no strict association; often in vicinity of waterholes and seasonal creeks.

Seeds of grasses , herbs, trees and shrubs, including mulga and A. tetragonophylla, mistletoe Amyema murrayi, the saltbushes Atriplex vesicaria and Enchylaena tomentosa, chickweed Cerastium glomeratum, Chenopodium, Kochia, Bassia, Erodium and Lysiana exocarpi; small grubs once recorded.

Commonest call is a sharply upslurred whistle, “huweet!”, either repeated at regular intervals or in fast series. When perched, also utters soft contact calls, mainly short and guttural.

July–December, but nesting extends virtually throughout year if conditions favourable. Nest in hollow limb or hole in tree, high up when tall trees available, but frequently in small, stunted trees, once in a sandbank and once in metal pipes used as posts. Eggs  4–7, usually 5; incubation lasts 19 days; nestling period c. 4 weeks.

Not globally threatened. CITES II. Locally common; uncommon in southwest Australia. Although some decline in numbers may have occurred since European settlement, there is no evidence of a contraction of range.