Family Parrots (Psittacidae)
Least Concern
Northern Rosella (Platycercus venustus)
Taxonomy
French: Perruche gracieuse German: Brownsittich Spanish: Perico gracioso
Taxonomy:
Psittacus venustus
Kuhl
, 1820,Arnhem Bay, Northern Territory, Australia
.
Subspecies and Distribution
P. v. hilli
Mathews, 1910 – N Western Australia (Kimberley).
P. v. venustus
(Kuhl, 1820) – N Australia from N Northern Territory (including Bathurst I and Melville I) E through Barkly Tableland to extreme NW Queensland.
Descriptive notes
28 cm; mean 85 g. Bill whitish; head black except for off-white lower cheek and chin; underparts, lower back and rump pale yellow lightly edged black, giving weak scaled... read more
Voice
Commonest call is a loud doubled or tripled “kwe-kweep!” or “kwe-kwee!-kwup” heard in flight. When... read more
Habitat
Eucalyptus and Melaleuca woodland in hilly country where access to water greater... read more
Food and feeding
Seeds of eucalypts, Melaleuca and Acacia, also C. intratropica; grass seeds and nectar also recorded. Birds in... read more
Breeding
Jun–Sept, sometimes earlier. Nest in hollow limb or hole in tree, usually a eucalypt near water. Eggs 2–4; incubation lasts c.... read more
Movements
Probably mainly sedentary, although in dry season birds retreat to vicinity of watercourses.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. CITES II. Considered to be relatively uncommon overall, and only locally common. Evidence of former abundance disputed, so not clear if any decline... read more
Forms a species-group with P. adscitus and P. eximius, and sometimes considered conspecific with both. Two subspecies recognized.