The Eastern Rosella was named by George Shaw in 1792 and in my opinion is one of Australia’s most beautiful birds.
Three subspecies of Eastern Rosella are recognised:
- P. e. eximius, Victoria and southern New South Wales. Black feathers on the back have green margins. Rump is pale green.
- P. e. elecica, northeast New South Wales and southeast Queensland. In the male the black feathers on the back have golden-yellow margins, and greenish-yellow in the female. The rump is bluish-green. This subspecies is also called the Golden-mantled Rosella.
- P. e. diemenensis, eastern Tasmania. White cheek patches are larger and the red on the head is darker.
My photos above are the Tasmanian subspecies. We saw them easily around Hobart in the Botanical Gardens and near the Travelodge Airport Hotel. I have also seen the 2nd subspecies around the Girraween area in South-east Queensland.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT EASTERN ROSELLAS
VIDEO
Don’t be fooled, these are wild birds who set up housekeeping in someone’s backyard!