Bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster)

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Tara

The eastern Bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster) is an Australian parrot, one of two species in the genus Northiella.The Bluebonnet is a medium sized inland parrot commonly found in the interior of southeastern and central-southern Australia. It is adapted to life in semi-arid regions but can also flourish in regions of medium rainfall towards the eastern and southern extremities of its range. Since my photos are too blurry (see below) to do justice to the subtle beauty of this bird, I have to reply on Wikipedia’s photo.

I only saw them at a distance.

They do have a large range over most of inland eastern Australia. I have personally seen them at Bowra Station & Mosquito Creek Road near Lake Coolmunda (blue dots) in SE Queensland. Both times the birds were flying at lightning speed but at least the Coolmunda birds made a nice semi-circle through the trees giving me more time to try to get a photo!

LEARN MORE ABOUT BLUEBONNETS

VIDEO

It wasn’t easy to find a video of these birds in the wild though there are some captive bird on Youtube. I found this clip on Vimeo but you have to click through to Vimeo to see it.

IBC also has a few clips.

Little Lorikeet (Glossopsitta pusilla)

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Tara

The Little Lorikeet (Glossopsitta pusilla) is a species of parrot in the Psittaculidae family. It is endemic to Australia. It is a small parrot, predominantly green in plumage with a red face. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

They can be very hard to photograph as they tend to stay high up in trees and blend in well with the foliage but I finally got a decent shot in Durikai National Forest, near Karara.

They have a large range on the eastern side of Australia. I have seen them at Woodlands near MEL, several reserves in the Brisbane area and at Durikai National Forest.

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VIDEOS

You can see how well they blend in.

Nesting pair

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Tara

One of the birds you are most likely to see in Australia is also one of the most beautiful. The galah Eolophus roseicapilla, also known as the rose-breasted cockatoo, galah cockatoo, roseate cockatoo or pink and grey, is one of the most common and widespread cockatoos, and it can be found in open country in almost all parts of mainland Australia.

Notice how this first Galah’s crest (Nallan Station) is pinker than the other ones?

Galahs are known for their silly, playful nature. If an Aussie calls you a “galah”, they usually don’t mean it as a compliment!

You won’t have to try to hard to find them as they are pretty much all over Australia. I’ve seen them around Perth, Nallan Station, Stirling Range, Tasmania, Melbourne, Brisbane, Bowra Station, Coolmunda, Karara, Girraween just to name a few. They frequent the park a couple blocks from my house and I can usually hear them as they fly overhead in the morning to forage for breakfast.

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VIDEOS

Wild Galahs in action – playing and foraging.

Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Tara

The Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), also known as the quarrion and the weiro, is a member of the cockatoo family endemic to Australia. Cockatiels have a special place in my heart as they were the first bird I had as a pet and it was my love for them that led me to learn more about them and ultimately led to me being a conservationist. It will always be a magical experience for me to see them in the wild!

These photos were taken along Mosquito Creek Road which is near Lake Coolmunda, about 4 hours drive from Brisbane.

They have a large range covering most of Australia but seeing them is harder than you may think as they prefer remote grassy bushlands and they blend in well if they are on the ground foraging. Mosquito Creek Road and Bowra Station (blue dots) are 2 easy places to find them. I recommend searching on eBird since they are so widespread and there is bound to be a place within a reasonable drive from most cities in Australia.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COCKATIELS

VIDEOS

Any search through Youtube will find 1000’s of pet cockatiel videos so I had to search for the wild cockatiel clips. I found some good ones showing wild cockatiels going about their daily life in the bush.

I wish I could see this many all at once!

Mini doco with good basic info but be advised that some photos are pet mutation cockatiels, not the wild ones though they also have wild cockatiel pics.

Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Tara

The Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus), also known as the red-backed parrot or grass parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin. The red-rumped parrot was described by John Gould in 1838 and is the type species for the genus Psephotus. It was long presumed to be closely related to the mulga parrot, however analysis of multiple genetic material shows it to be an early offshoot of a group containing the genera Platycercus and Barnardius.

At Lake Coolmunda, male Red-rumps were out foraging in all their glory but I struggled to get a good shot of a female. I found this nesting pair near Karara but the lighting was bad.

They have quite a large range in south-eastern Australia. I have personally seen them at Woodlands Park, Melbourne, Bowra Station, Lake Coolmunda, Karara and around SEQ in general.

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VIDEOS

This clip has excellent close ups of both male and female and you can really see the difference. You can also hear their call and watch them forage in the grass.

More foraging Red-rumps

Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)

Posted on September 21, 2015 by Tara

The Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus) is a species of parrot found in Australia. It is common along the eastern seaboard, from northern Queensland to South Australia and Tasmania. Its habitat is rainforest, coastal bush and woodland areas. Several taxa traditionally listed as subspecies of the rainbow lorikeet are now treated as separate species (see Taxonomy) or this more detailed explanation of taxonomy.

Rainbow Lorikeets are readily found in towns along the eastern Australian seaboard. You don’t have to go birding to see them in Brisbane, they are everywhere! They visit my back yard and front yard most days of the year and roost noisily in the trees outside the Chermside Shopping Centre in the 1000’s. A smaller population has been introduced to parks near Perth, WA.

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VIDEOS

Here you see Rainbow Lorikeets in the bush and also some which frequent a wildlife park – Currumbin Sanctuary. All the birds are wild, they just like a free feed like anyone else!

Here you can see their playful nature!

Cuban Amazon Parrot (Amazona leucocephala)

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Tara

The Cuban Amazon (Amazona leucocephala) also known as Cuban Parrot or the rose-throated parrot, is a medium-sized mainly green parrot found in woodlands and dry forests of Cuba, the Bahamas and Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.

There are four subspecies of the Cuban amazon^:

A. l. leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1758). Present throughout Cuba, including Isla de la Juventud (formerly known as Isla de Pinos).
A. l. bahamensis (H. Bryant, 1867), also called the Bahama amazon. Two extant populations in the Bahamas; one on the Abaco Islands and one on Great Inagua (with sightings from nearby Little Inagua). Now extirpated populations were present on the Acklins and Crooked Islands and possibly also elsewhere in the Bahamas.
A. l. caymanensis (Cory, 1886), also called the Grand Cayman amazon. Restricted to Grand Cayman Island.
A. l. hesterna Bangs, 1916. Now restricted to the island of Cayman Brac, but formerly also on Little Cayman.

The birds I saw while on our cruise were the Cayman Parrot subspecies. Now that Cuba has opened up to tourism, we should be hearing about more sightings of the nominate subspecies as well!

LEARN MORE ABOUT CUBAN/CAYMAN PARROTS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Cayman Islands Government

VIDEOS

This video was taken in the same aviary we were in back in 2008.

And here are some in the wild in Grand Cayman.

Black-billed Parrot (Amazona agilis)

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Tara

The Black-billed Amazon/Parrot (Amazona agilis) is a parrot endemic to Jamaica. Sometimes called the black-billed parrot, this amazon parrot is mostly green with small patches of red on the wing and sometimes flecked on the head. Its bill makes it easy to separate from most other amazons, including the yellow-billed amazon, which also lives in Jamaica. It is the smallest Amazona parrot at 25 cm (10 in).

Since I couldn’t get a decent photo it’s Wikipedia to the rescue!

They are endemic to Jamaica with a somewhat smaller range than the Yellow-billed Parrot. We got a glimpse of one near Ocho Rios, you need a really good guide to find them! Would have been better without the rain!

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VIDEO

This bird was harder to find on video. Fast forward to 18:50 to catch a good clip of them here.

Yellow-billed Parrot aka Jamaican Amazon, (Amazona collaria)

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Tara

The Yellow-billed Parrot, also called the Jamaican amazon, (Amazona collaria) is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is a predominantly green parrot with a short tail and pink throat and neck. It is endemic to Jamaica, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, plantations, and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss and illegal trapping of wild birds for the pet trade.

They are endemic to the Caribbean Island of Jamaica. We saw them while on a cruise ship visit to Ocho Rios. They are wide-spread throughout the island.

LEARN MORE ABOUT YELLOW-BILLED PARROTS

VIDEO

It doesn’t get much better than this, a whole mini-documentary about birding in Jamaica featuring Yellow-billed Parrots! They start at 19:20.

If you’re pressed for time, check out this hungry little guy!

Orange-fronted Conure (Eupsittula canicularis)

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Tara

The Orange-fronted Parakeet or Orange-fronted Conure (Eupsittula canicularis), also known as the Half-moon Conure, is a medium-sized parrot which is a resident from western Mexico to Costa Rica.

The first photo was taken in Huatulco and the 2nd photo which is in better light shows 2 released Orange-fronted Conures hanging around the still captive birds at El Manatial Sanctuary near Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Orange-fronted Conures have a large range down the Pacific coastal strip between roughly Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Puntarenas, Costa Rica. The black dot is Huatulco which is a popular cruise ship port where we saw them.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ORANGE-FRONTED CONURES

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Category Archives: Parrots

Bluebonnet (Northiella haematogaster)

LEARN MORE ABOUT BLUEBONNETS

VIDEO

Little Lorikeet (Glossopsitta pusilla)

LEARN MORE ABOUT LITTLE LORIKEETS

VIDEOS

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)

LEARN MORE ABOUT GALAHS

VIDEOS

Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus)

LEARN MORE ABOUT COCKATIELS

VIDEOS

Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus)

LEARN MORE ABOUT RED-RUMP PARROTS

VIDEOS

Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus)

VIDEOS

Cuban Amazon Parrot (Amazona leucocephala)

LEARN MORE ABOUT CUBAN/CAYMAN PARROTS

VIDEOS

Black-billed Parrot (Amazona agilis)

LEARN MORE ABOUT BLACK-BILLED PARROTS

VIDEO

Yellow-billed Parrot aka Jamaican Amazon, (Amazona collaria)

LEARN MORE ABOUT YELLOW-BILLED PARROTS

VIDEO

Orange-fronted Conure (Eupsittula canicularis)

LEARN MORE ABOUT ORANGE-FRONTED CONURES

VIDEO