Red-capped Parrot | Miles To The Wild

The Red-capped Parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius), also called the Pileated Parakeet is an Australian species of broad-tailed parrot. I took the first 3 shots at Foxes Lair. The middle one is a juvenile.

The species occurs from the Moore River southwards in southwestern Australia. Its natural habitat is Marri (Corymbia calophylla), but has adpated to farmland, orchards and suburban landscapes in Perth. Sadly some farmers consider them a pest and will shoot them.

Bird watchers have the best chances of seeing them at Foxes Lair, Dryandra Woodland, Stirling Range and a few lucky people in the Perth area see them in their backyards! Use your miles to get to Australia, then any of these destinations is a few hours drive from Perth.

This charming bi-lingual book is about an Aboriginal legend of the Red-capped Parrot which is called “Kaawar” in their language. I bought a copy at the gift shop at Yanchep National Park but it can also be ordered online.

Kaawar book

LEARN MORE ABOUT RED-CAPPED PARROTS

VIDEOS

Foraging in the grass at Bremer Bay, WA

Short but a good close up of a wild bird. Most videos were of captive parrots so I took the best I could find!

Foxes Lair is a small reserve on the outskirts of Narrogin, Western Australia. It makes a perfect complement to nearby Dryandra Woodland, especially for parrot watchers.

Google Maps don’t show it but it is where I have made the yellow highlights.

Foxes Lair

It’s well worth planning both a morning visit and an afternoon visit here as you can get different birds. I saw more Carnaby’s Cockatoos & Galahs in the morning and in the afternoon, I got my first look at Red Capped Parrots and Regent Parrots and of course more Port Lincoln Ringnecks.

Here’s a few pics of the birds I saw over 2 days. Sorry about the silhouettes of the Carnaby’s Cockatoos, it was around 5:30am-ish! You can see birds both on the side of the road near the caravan park opposite Foxes Lair and then drive into the reserve where there is a car park and a few trails you can follow.

You can stay in Narrogin where there are several options such as Bella’s Country Place (where we stayed-my review), Albert Facey Motel & Narrogin Motel.