City Parrots

news.com.au

Australia’s second-rarest bird has been sighted in the Coorong, raising new hopes for the parrot teetering on the edge of extinction.
Recent surveys in Coorong National Park have detected two small groups of the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot.

Surveys by Environment and Heritage Department rangers, interstate biologists and volunteers have confirmed orange-bellied parrots continue to migrate to the Coorong coastline each year.

Three of the parrots sighted this winter were identified as first-year birds undertaking their first migrations.

The department’s Coorong project officer, Terry Dennis, said the parrots were small, elusive green birds.

The wild population is estimated at fewer than 150, making it Australia’s second-rarest bird species.

The parrots breed in southwest Tasmania during summer, then migrate across Bass Strait in autumn to spend winter along the mainland coast.

“They are one of only three parrot species in the world to undertake such a lengthy migration,” Mr Dennis said.

“Historical records tell us orange-bellied parrots have visited saltmarsh, coastal wetlands and dune habitats in the Coorong for many decades.”

While extremely rare now, orange-bellied parrots were trapped in the Coorong during the 1950s and ‘60s for the aviculture trade.

“Orange-bellied parrots inhabit vast and remote coastal environments which makes keeping track of their whereabouts and habitat use particularly challenging,” Mr Dennis said.

“The recent decline in sightings of the parrots in the Coorong coincides with significant environmental changes that appear to have reduced the availability of the parrots’ preferred food plants.

“The more we learn about the orange-bellied parrot, the more we will be able to help conserve this special bird for future generations.”

The Environment and Heritage Department welcomes volunteers for bird surveys, phone 8555 0296.