Orange-bellied Parrot
Encyclopedia
The Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) is a small broad-tailed parrot
endemic
to southern Australia
, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller green in colour. All birds have a blue frontal band and blue outer wing feathers. The diet consists of seeds and berries of small coastal grasses and shrubs.
The Orange-bellied Parrot breeds in Tasmania
and winters in coastal grasslands on southern mainland Australia. With a population in the wild of fewer than 35 to 50 wild birds, it is regarded as a critically endangered species. Recent alarming declines in the wild population of Orange-bellied parrots has prompted the Australian Government to decide in April 2010 that it would capture up to 20 of the remaining wild population to further improve the genetic diversity of the species' captive breeding program as an "insurance" against extinction.
in 1790. He gave it the specific name, chrysogaster, Ancient Greek
for 'golden belly'. No subspecies are recognised. It is one of six species of grass parrot in the genus Neophema. It has previously been known as the Orange-breasted Parrot - a name given to the Orange-bellied Parrot in 1926 by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
or RAOU (now known as Birds Australia) when the word 'belly' was considered inelegant.
The Orange-bellied parrot utters soft tinkling notes, as well as a distinctive rapidly repeated chittering alarm call unlike that of other members of the genus. The alarm call is a quickly repeated tzeet.
, where they nest in eucalypts bordering on button grass
moors. The entire population migrates over Bass Strait
to spend the winter on the coast of south-eastern Australia. These few sites contain their favoured salt marsh
habitat, and includes sites in or close to Port Phillip
such as Werribee Sewage Farm
, the Spit Nature Conservation Reserve
, the shores of Swan Bay, Swan Island, Lake Connewarre State Wildlife Reserve
, Lake Victoria
and Mud Islands
, as well as French Island
in Western Port
.
), Suaeda australis
and sea heath (Frankenia pauciflora
), as well as berries, such as those of Coprosma
. They have also been reported eating kelp
.
as Critically Endangered
. The current wild population is estimated at under 50 individuals, with a further 160 birds in captive breeding programs. Recent modelling suggests that on current trends the species will become extinct in the wild within five years.
There are now estimated to be about 35 individuals in the wild and only five have made the winter migration to the mainland so far in 2011. In May 2011, 10 individuals were captured and transferred by aircraft from Tasmania to Healesville Sanctuary
near Melbourne in a last ditch effort to save the species from extinction. It is hoped that the new additions from the wild will improve the genetic diversity of the 80 birds at Healesville Sanctuary, which are all bred from three pairs. Captive populations in Hobart and Adelaide are also important to the aim of releasing captive bred birds back to the wild.
.
Other identified potential threats include:
on Tasmania's North-West coast is operating with a license to kill up to six Orange-bellied Parrots every two years. In 2001, then Australian federal environment minister Robert Hill
approved the wind farm, along the main migratory flight path for the parrot, with several conditions to protect migrating birds. To date no Orange-bellied Parrots have been found to collide with the turbines.
The Orange-bellied Parrot earned the wrath of Victorian premier Jeff Kennett
in the 1990s. A proposed relocation of the Coode Island Chemical storage facility to a location near Point Wilson, Victoria
was jeopardised by the potential impacts upon Orange-bellied Parrot habitat. Mr Kennett described this species as a 'trumped-up corella'. This epithet was later adopted as the title for the Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Teams newsletter.
In 2006, the potential threats to the Orange-bellied Parrot were cited as the key reason for Commonwealth Minister rejecting the proposal to build the Bald Hills Wind Farm
in eastern Victoria. This decision was later reversed, and the company was provided with approval to proceed (under certain conditions). The intense media scrutiny at this time placed the Orange-bellied Parrot temporarily into the spotlight. In the subsequent months, additional funding was provided for the parrots recovery, and its status under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
was raised from endangered to critically endangered.
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 southern 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...
, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller green in colour. All birds have a blue frontal band and blue outer wing feathers. The diet consists of seeds and berries of small coastal grasses and shrubs.
The Orange-bellied Parrot breeds in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
and winters in coastal grasslands on southern mainland Australia. With a population in the wild of fewer than 35 to 50 wild birds, it is regarded as a critically endangered species. Recent alarming declines in the wild population of Orange-bellied parrots has prompted the Australian Government to decide in April 2010 that it would capture up to 20 of the remaining wild population to further improve the genetic diversity of the species' captive breeding program as an "insurance" against extinction.
Taxonomy and naming
The Orange-bellied Parrot was first described by ornithologist John LathamJohn Latham (ornithologist)
John Latham was an English physician, naturalist and author. He was born at Eltham in Kent, and was the eldest son of John Latham, a surgeon there, and his mother was a descendant of the Sothebys, in Yorkshire....
in 1790. He gave it the specific name, chrysogaster, Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
for 'golden belly'. No subspecies are recognised. It is one of six species of grass parrot in the genus Neophema. It has previously been known as the Orange-breasted Parrot - a name given to the Orange-bellied Parrot in 1926 by the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
The Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union, also known as Birds Australia, was founded in 1901 to promote the study and conservation of the native bird species of Australia and adjacent regions. This makes it Australia's oldest national birding association. It is also Australia's largest...
or RAOU (now known as Birds Australia) when the word 'belly' was considered inelegant.
Description
The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small parrot around 20 cm (8 in) long; the adult male has bright green upperparts, and yellow below with a prominent, two-toned blue frontal band, a green-blue uppertail with yellow sides, and an orange patch on its belly. The under wing-coverts and flight feathers are dark blue, with paler blue median wing-coverts. Its iris is dark brown and beak and feet greyish. The adult female is a duller green with a paler blue frontal band. The juvenile is a duller green colour.The Orange-bellied parrot utters soft tinkling notes, as well as a distinctive rapidly repeated chittering alarm call unlike that of other members of the genus. The alarm call is a quickly repeated tzeet.
Distribution and habitat
Orange-bellied Parrots only breed in South West TasmaniaSouth West Tasmania
South West Tasmania is a region in Tasmania that has evolved over the fifty years between its consideration as a potential resource for development to its consideration as World Heritage wilderness...
, where they nest in eucalypts bordering on button grass
Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus
Gymnoschoenus sphaerocephalus, commonly known as button grass, is a species of tussock-forming grass from southeastern Australia. It forms part of a unique habitat in Tasmania....
moors. The entire population migrates over Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
to spend the winter on the coast of south-eastern Australia. These few sites contain their favoured salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
habitat, and includes sites in or close to Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
such as Werribee Sewage Farm
Werribee Sewage Farm
Werribee Sewage Farm or, more formally, the Western Treatment Plant of Melbourne Water, is an 110 km² sewage treatment farm adjacent to the town of Werribee, 30 km west of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the coast of Port Phillip Bay...
, the Spit Nature Conservation Reserve
Spit Nature Conservation Reserve
The Spit Nature Conservation Reserve is a 300 ha nature reserve on the north-western shore of Port Phillip, a large bay in Victoria, Australia. It consists of public land set aside to conserve and protect species, communities and habitats of indigenous plants and animals...
, the shores of Swan Bay, Swan Island, Lake Connewarre State Wildlife Reserve
Lake Connewarre State Wildlife Reserve
Lake Connewarre State Wildlife Reserve is a 3411.1 ha Park that contains a diverse range of unique and significant ecosystems including a river, tidal delta, lakes, swamps, salt marshes and grasslands....
, Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria (Victoria)
.Lake Victoria is a 1.39 km² shallow saline lake on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, close to the township of Point Lonsdale and part of the Lonsdale Lakes Nature Reserve administered by Parks Victoria. It is separated from Bass Strait by a narrow strip of coastal dunes...
and Mud Islands
Mud Islands
The Mud Islands reserve is located within Port Phillip, about 90 km south-west of Melbourne, Australia, lying 10 km inside Port Phillip Heads, 7 km north of Portsea and 9 km east of Queenscliff. The land area of about 50 ha is made up of three low-lying islands surrounding a shallow tidal 35 ha...
, as well as French Island
French Island National Park
French Island is the largest coastal island of Victoria, Australia, located in Western Port, 61 km southeast of Melbourne. In 1997 about 70 per cent of the island was declared the French Island National Park, and is listed in the register of the National Estate...
in Western Port
Western Port
Western Port, is sometimes called "Western Port Bay", is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in Victoria. Geographically, it is dominated by the two large islands; French Island and Phillip Island. Contrary to its name, it lies to...
.
Behaviour
The Orange-bellied Parrot is found in pairs or small flocks, and generally remain on the ground or in low foliage searching for food. Their diet consists of seeds of species such as the grass Poa biliarderi, saltbush (Atriplex cinereaAtriplex cinerea
Atriplex cinerea is a species of plant in the Chenopodiaceae family. It occurs in sheltered coastal areas and around salt lakes in the Australian states of Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales....
), Suaeda australis
Suaeda australis
Suaeda australis ' is a species of plant in the family Amaranthaceae, native to Australia. It grows to between 0.1 and 0.9 metres in height, with a speading habit and branching occurring from the base. The leaves are up to 40mm in length and are succulent, linear and flattened. They are light...
and sea heath (Frankenia pauciflora
Frankenia pauciflora
Frankenia pauciflora is a shrub in the Frankeniaceae family, native to southern Australia....
), as well as berries, such as those of Coprosma
Coprosma
Coprosma is a genus of 108 species that are found in New Zealand , Hawaii , Borneo, Java, New Guinea, islands of the Pacific Ocean to Australia and the Juan Fernández Is. Many species are small shrubs with tiny evergreen leaves, but a few are small trees and have much larger leaves...
. They have also been reported eating kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
.
Reproduction
Breeding season is October to January with one brood raised. The nest is a hollow in a tree, less than 5 m (16 ft) above the ground. Four or five white eggs are laid measuring 20 mm x 23 mm.Conservation status
This species has a very small population and is on the verge of extinction in the wild. It is 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
Critically Endangered
Critically Endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. Critically Endangered means that a species' numbers have decreased, or will decrease, by 80% within three generations....
. The current wild population is estimated at under 50 individuals, with a further 160 birds in captive breeding programs. Recent modelling suggests that on current trends the species will become extinct in the wild within five years.
There are now estimated to be about 35 individuals in the wild and only five have made the winter migration to the mainland so far in 2011. In May 2011, 10 individuals were captured and transferred by aircraft from Tasmania to Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary, or the Sir Colin MacKenzie Fauna Park, is a zoo specializing in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville in rural Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is one of only two places to have successfully bred a platypus, the other...
near Melbourne in a last ditch effort to save the species from extinction. It is hoped that the new additions from the wild will improve the genetic diversity of the 80 birds at Healesville Sanctuary, which are all bred from three pairs. Captive populations in Hobart and Adelaide are also important to the aim of releasing captive bred birds back to the wild.
International
It is listed as critically endangered 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...
.
Australia
- In 2007, its status was upgraded from endangered to critically endangeredCritically endangeredVersion 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
on the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
. - The 2000 Action Plan for Australian Birds lists it as critically endangeredCritically endangeredVersion 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
(Garnett and Crowley 2000). - In a report on threatened and extinct birds in Australia in 1992, it was listed as endangered (Garnett 1992).
- In a report on threatened birds in Australia in 1990, it was listed as endangered (Brouwer and Garnett 1990).
State Level
The Orange-bellied Parrot has been recorded from four states within Australia; Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. Its conservation status varies from state to state within Australia. For example:- The Orange-bellied Parrot is listed as threatened on the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). Under this Act, an Action Statement for the recovery and future management of this species has been prepared.
- On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the Orange-bellied Parrot is listed as critically endangered.
Threats
The 2000 Action Plan for Australian Birds identifies the following potential threats to the Orange-bellied Parrot:- Fragmentation and degradation of over-wintering habitat
- Competition with introduced seed-eaters
- Abandonment of former breeding habitat due to altered fire regime and competition for hollows (with the introduced Common Starling)
- Random events due to the small size of the population
- Disorientation from brightly lit fishing boats (during the migrations across Bass StraitBass StraitBass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
) - Introduced predators
- Disease (such as Psittacine Circoviral Disease)
Other identified potential threats include:
- Lack of safety in numbers for a small bird attractive to avian predators (Brouwer and Garnett 1990)
- Historically was trapped for avicultureAvicultureAviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds and the culture that forms around it. Aviculture is generally focused on not only the raising and breeding of birds, but also on preserving avian habitat, and public awareness campaigns....
(Garnett 1992) - A stomach virus is threatening a breeding program for the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot.
Conflict with development
The Woolnorth windfarmWoolnorth Wind Farm, Tasmania
Woolnorth Wind Farm is a wind power station at Woolnorth , Tasmania, Australia. It is wholly owned and operated by Roaring 40s and has 62 wind turbines, with a generating capacity of 140 MW of electricity....
on Tasmania's North-West coast is operating with a license to kill up to six Orange-bellied Parrots every two years. In 2001, then Australian federal environment minister Robert Hill
Robert Hill (Australian politician)
Robert Murray Hill is Chancellor of the University of Adelaide and a former Australian politician. He also currently heads the Australian Carbon Trust.-Early life and family:...
approved the wind farm, along the main migratory flight path for the parrot, with several conditions to protect migrating birds. To date no Orange-bellied Parrots have been found to collide with the turbines.
The Orange-bellied Parrot earned the wrath of Victorian premier Jeff Kennett
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
in the 1990s. A proposed relocation of the Coode Island Chemical storage facility to a location near Point Wilson, Victoria
Point Wilson, Victoria
Point Wilson is a locality located on the northern shores of Corio Bay, Victoria. it is approximately 60 kilometres by road from Melbourne, and 25 kilometres by road from Geelong....
was jeopardised by the potential impacts upon Orange-bellied Parrot habitat. Mr Kennett described this species as a 'trumped-up corella'. This epithet was later adopted as the title for the Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Teams newsletter.
In 2006, the potential threats to the Orange-bellied Parrot were cited as the key reason for Commonwealth Minister rejecting the proposal to build the Bald Hills Wind Farm
Bald Hills Wind Farm
The Bald Hills Wind Farm is a proposed wind farm located approximately 10 km south east of Tarwin Lower in South Gippsland. The Bald Hills Wind Farm site covers approximately 1750ha of largely cleared cattle and sheep grazing farmland...
in eastern Victoria. This decision was later reversed, and the company was provided with approval to proceed (under certain conditions). The intense media scrutiny at this time placed the Orange-bellied Parrot temporarily into the spotlight. In the subsequent months, additional funding was provided for the parrots recovery, and its status under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and culturally significant places...
was raised from endangered to critically endangered.
Cited text
- Forshaw, Joseph M. & Cooper, William T. (1978): Parrots of the World (2nd ed). Landsdowne Editions, Melbourne Australia ISBN 0-7018-0690-7
External links
- BirdLife Species Factsheet.
- http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/articles/art_015.htm
- http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/obp
- http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/images/stories/current-projects/obp/OBParticle-Jun10WS.pdf