Night Parrot
Encyclopedia
The Night Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot
endemic
to the continent of Australia
. The species was originally placed within its own genus (Geopsittacus), but most authors now prefer to place it within the genus Pezoporus
together with the two ground parrot
s.
No known sightings of the bird were made between 1912 and 1979, leading to speculation that it was extinct. Sightings since 1979 have been extremely rare and the bird's population size is unknown.
species by its shorter tail and different range and habitat. Predominantly terrestrial, taking to the air only when panicked or in search of water, the Night Parrot has furtive, nocturnal habits and—even when it was abundant—was apparently a highly secretive species. Its natural habitat appears to be the spinifex
grass which still dominates much of the dry, dusty Australian interior; other early reports also indicate that it never strayed far from water.
as Critically Endangered.
There have been only a few reliable records of the bird since the 1880s, with the last authenticated report dating from 2006, when rangers found a dead specimen which had flown into a barbed wire fence in the Diamantina National Park
in south western Queensland
.Roberts, Greg: Bad news for one night parrot, good for species, The Australian
, 16 February 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2007 Prior to this, the last reliable sighting was of three individuals in 2005 near Minga Well, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Reliable sightings were made in 1990 when a roadkill specimen was discovered by scientists returning from an expedition in a remote part of Queensland
and 1979 when Ornithologist Shane A. Parker
from the South Australian Museum
spotted an apparent flock of the birds in the far north of South Australia
.
Ornithologists continue to patrol the outback for signs that the species still thrives, even checking the old nests of other birds, such as the Zebra Finch
, for fragments of Night Parrot feathers. The Night Parrot remains one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world of ornithology.
project through the then-Minister for the Environment, Ian Campbell
, was criticised because of a number of endangered species in the area of the future mine, among them the Night Parrot. In order to gain EPA approval, the mine had to implement a management plan to ensure that mining activities would not have a negative effect on the species survival in the area. The occurrence of the Night Parrot in the future mining area, at Minga Well on 12 April 2005, was discovered during a 2005 survey commissioned by FMG, which was carried out by two contract biologists who sighted a small group of the birds. Unconfirmed sightings of the bird had been made previously in a near-by area in 2004.
The sighting, at dusk, was by biologists Dr Robert Davis and Mr Brendan Metcalf, who were not able to obtain a photograph of the three birds they saw, but are confident that they spotted three Night Parrots. The detailed descriptions of their sighting were accepted by the Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC) making it the only accepted Night Parrot sighting in modern times. Based on this acceptance by scientific peers, a paper describing the sighting was published in the Australian ornithological journal, Emu in 2008. The two biologists carried out further searches at Minga Well and Moojari Well the following five nights after the sighting, but were unable to spot the birds again. A follow up survey of the Fortescue Marsh
area in May 2005 was unsuccessful in finding any conclusive evidence of the species.
Broad-tailed parrot
A broad-tailed parrot is any of about 35–40 species belonging to the tribe Platycercini. The members of the tribe are small to medium in size, and all are native to Australasia, Australia in particular, but also New Zealand, New Caledonia, and nearby islands.-Species:* Genus Prosopeia** Crimson...
endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the continent of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The species was originally placed within its own genus (Geopsittacus), but most authors now prefer to place it within the genus Pezoporus
Pezoporus
The genus Pezoporus contains three Australian species: the Night Parrot and the cryptic ground parrots, the Eastern Ground Parrot and the Western Ground Parrot . The night parrot was previously separated in a distinct genus, Geopsittacus...
together with the two ground parrot
Ground parrot
There are two species of ground parrot:*Eastern Ground Parrot*Western Ground Parrot...
s.
No known sightings of the bird were made between 1912 and 1979, leading to speculation that it was extinct. Sightings since 1979 have been extremely rare and the bird's population size is unknown.
Description
A relatively small parrot, the species' colour is predominantly a yellowish green, mottled with dark brown, blacks and yellows. It is distinguished from the two superficially similar ground parrotGround parrot
There are two species of ground parrot:*Eastern Ground Parrot*Western Ground Parrot...
species by its shorter tail and different range and habitat. Predominantly terrestrial, taking to the air only when panicked or in search of water, the Night Parrot has furtive, nocturnal habits and—even when it was abundant—was apparently a highly secretive species. Its natural habitat appears to be the spinifex
Triodia (plant genus)
Triodia is a large genus of hummock-forming grass endemic to Australia; they are commonly known as spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus Spinifex. There are currently 64 recognised species...
grass which still dominates much of the dry, dusty Australian interior; other early reports also indicate that it never strayed far from water.
Conservation status
The population size of this species is not known. Estimates range from extinct to not threatened at all. It is currently listed on the IUCN Red ListIUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
as Critically Endangered.
There have been only a few reliable records of the bird since the 1880s, with the last authenticated report dating from 2006, when rangers found a dead specimen which had flown into a barbed wire fence in the Diamantina National Park
Diamantina National Park
Diamantina National Park is a national park in the Channel Country of south west Queensland, Australia, 1278 km west of Brisbane. Like the Diamantina River that flows through it, it is named for Lady Diamantina Bowen, wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first Governor of Queensland.Established...
in south western Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.Roberts, Greg: Bad news for one night parrot, good for species, The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
, 16 February 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2007 Prior to this, the last reliable sighting was of three individuals in 2005 near Minga Well, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Reliable sightings were made in 1990 when a roadkill specimen was discovered by scientists returning from an expedition in a remote part of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
and 1979 when Ornithologist Shane A. Parker
Shane A. Parker
Shane A. Parker was a British-born museum curator and ornithologist, who emigrated to Australia in 1967 after participating in the second Harold Hall Australian ornithological collecting expedition in 1964...
from the South Australian Museum
South Australian Museum
The South Australian Museum is a museum in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultural precinct of the Adelaide Parklands.-History:...
spotted an apparent flock of the birds in the far north of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
Ornithologists continue to patrol the outback for signs that the species still thrives, even checking the old nests of other birds, such as the Zebra Finch
Zebra Finch
The Zebra Finch, Taeniopygia guttata, is the most common and familiar estrildid finch of Central Australia and ranges over most of the continent, avoiding only the cool moist south and the tropical far north. It also can be found natively in Indonesia and East Timor...
, for fragments of Night Parrot feathers. The Night Parrot remains one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world of ornithology.
Sightings at Minga Well
The approval of the A$2billion Cloud Break mineCloud Break mine
The Cloudbreak mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 89 kilometres west-south-west of Nullagine, in the Chichester Range....
project through the then-Minister for the Environment, Ian Campbell
Ian Campbell (Australian politician)
Ian Gordon Campbell , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate representing Western Australia between 1990 and 2007.-Early life:...
, was criticised because of a number of endangered species in the area of the future mine, among them the Night Parrot. In order to gain EPA approval, the mine had to implement a management plan to ensure that mining activities would not have a negative effect on the species survival in the area. The occurrence of the Night Parrot in the future mining area, at Minga Well on 12 April 2005, was discovered during a 2005 survey commissioned by FMG, which was carried out by two contract biologists who sighted a small group of the birds. Unconfirmed sightings of the bird had been made previously in a near-by area in 2004.
The sighting, at dusk, was by biologists Dr Robert Davis and Mr Brendan Metcalf, who were not able to obtain a photograph of the three birds they saw, but are confident that they spotted three Night Parrots. The detailed descriptions of their sighting were accepted by the Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC) making it the only accepted Night Parrot sighting in modern times. Based on this acceptance by scientific peers, a paper describing the sighting was published in the Australian ornithological journal, Emu in 2008. The two biologists carried out further searches at Minga Well and Moojari Well the following five nights after the sighting, but were unable to spot the birds again. A follow up survey of the Fortescue Marsh
Fortescue River
The Fortescue River is an ephemeral river in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is the third longest river in the state.The river rises near Deadman Hill in the Ophthalmia Range about 30 km South of Newman. The river flows in a Northerly direction parallel with the Great Northern...
area in May 2005 was unsuccessful in finding any conclusive evidence of the species.
List of sightings
- April 2005, Pilbara region of Western Australia and near the Fortescue Marshes
- September 2006, dead female, Diamantina National Park.
External links
- Pezoporus occidentalis — Night Parrot. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. 2008
- Night Parrot. Parrot Encyclopedia, World Parrot Trust
- Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis. BirdLife Species Factsheet, BirdLife International