Bourke’s Parrot |
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Also known as: Bourke's Grass-Parakeet, Pink-bellied Parakeet, Blue-vented Parakeet, Sundown Parrot, Night Parrot
Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
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This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.Academic Research
Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkiiSpecies Profile
Genus: Neopsephotus | Species: bourkii
Size:
19cm (7.5 in)
Weight:
40-50g
Subspecies including nominate:
one
Colour Adult:
Male-upperparts olive/brown; blue forehead; line above eyes blue; face gray/white; grey/pink throat and lower cheeks, upper cheeks olive/brown; grey/brown breast with grey/pink wide edging; rose/pink abdomen; blue tail coverts and rump; dark brown upper wing coverts and outer secondary feathers, margined with yellow/white; underwing band minimal or absent; black/brown tail with wide tip. Bill grey. Eye dark brown. Female-in general duller than male with paler pink underparts and paler blue sides of rump; blue on forehead and above eyes absent or minimal; has pale underwing band.
Colour Juvenile:
As in adult female but duller with pale underwing band which is less pronounced in male juvenile.
Call:
Calls made in flight are mellow notes or plaintive warblings. Calls are softer and higher pitched than that of the Budgerigar, whose calls are similar.
Listen NowVideo Links:
Video 1 | Video 2More Information:
Content Sources:
CITES
BirdLife International
Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Birds of the World
Parrots: A Guide to Parrots of the World, Juniper and Parr, 1998
ML Media Collection Catalogue 8518, Bourke's Parrot Neophema bourkii, Priori, Andrea, New York, US, Feb. 23 1972, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Site
Parrots of the World, Forshaw and Cooper, 1977. 2010 edition
Parrots of the World, Forshaw, 2006.
Parrots in Aviculture, Low, 1992.
Lexicon of Parrots, Thomas Arndt.
Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.Academic Research
Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkiiSpecies Care
Captive Status:
Common
Longevity:
12 yrs
Housing:
Walk-in enclosure, minimum length 2.1m (6.9 ft) or indoor suspended aviary minimum length 1.8m (6 ft).
Diet:
Small seed mix such as: canary, millet and smaller amounts of oats, buckwheat, safflower and hemp; limited sunflower seed; millet spray; green leaves such as: Swiss chard, lettuce, sowthistle, dandelion, chickweed; seeding grasses; rearing foods made from hard-boiled egg, wholegrain bread and carrot, all ground up and mixed to crumbly consistency; fruit such as: apple, pear, banana, grapes, pomegranate, cactus fruits; complete kibble.
Enrichment:
Provide safe seeding grasses if possible, branches for climbing, areas for bathing.
Nest Box Size:
10" x 10" x 16" (25.4cm x 25.4cm x 40.6cm) vertical box.
Clutch Size:
4-5
Incubation Time:
18-19 days
Fledging Age:
30 days
Hatch Weight:
Not recorded.
Peak Weight:
Not recorded.
Weaning Weight:
Not recorded.
Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.Academic Research
Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkiiSpecies Wild Status
World Population:
Unknown, increasing.
IUCN Red List Status:
Least Concern
CITES Listing:
Appendix II
Threat Summary:
Not globally threatened. Fairly common and apparently increasing, likely owing to the introduction of stock-watering installations. Also possibly due to a reduction in sheep numbers or a change in ground vegetation to herbs.
Range:
Found in the interior of central and southern Australia in two restricted populations.
Habitat:
Occur in drier inland areas preferring open mulga Acacia aneura and Eucalyptus woodland. Also seen in riverine woodland and Callitris scrub.
Wild Diet:
Eats grass seeds, particularly wind grass, grass and herb shoots and seeds of Acacia, Bassia and Cassia.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Is nomadic; will arrive in an area and remain there for a few years before disappearing completely. Up to a thousand birds may be seen during at watering holes during dry spells. Are rapid fliers, travelling low through scrub to visit watering areas. Are quiet and shy while resting in pairs or flocks in vegetation.
Clutch and Egg Size:
4-5 rounded eggs, 20.0 x 16.5mm (0.8 x 0.6 in)
Breeding Season:
August-December; nest is in tree cavity.
Related Links:
Research: The intensity threshold of colour vision in two species of parrot
Wild Bourke's Parrot
© David Cook [CC BY-NC 2.0] via Flickr
Photos
View in GalleryDid You Know?
This species derives its name from Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.Academic Research
Related publications: Neopsephotus bourkiiMembers Only Resources
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