Ground Parrot
Pezoporus wallicus
Shy, predominantly ground-dwelling, long-tailed parrot of dense coastal heath. Primarily green, with yellow-green underparts and extensive black barring throughout. Extremely shy; usually only seen flying away when disturbed. Adult has tiny red band above bill and pale eye. Call is the most reliable way to locate this species, which tends to call mostly at dawn and dusk: a high whistle that ascends in pitch.
Identification
The ground parrot is a medium-sized parrot, growing up to 30 cm long and weighing approximately 80 grams. It is distinctive, with grass green plumage, black streaking on the head and hindneck, prominent pale-yellow wing bars and black and yellow barring on the abdomen, thighs and under-tail coverts. The irises are pale yellow, the bill is dark grey and the feet and legs are flesh-pink. They have a distinguishing bright red band above the cere. Males and females appear alike.<p>Juveniles can be differentiated from adults in that they are slightly smaller, have duller yellow-olive plumage, absent red bands and thicker, bolder markings on the head and breast. When newly fledged, irises are dark grey-brown to brown in colour.<p>The eastern and Tasmanian subspecies (wallicus and leachi) differ from the western subspecies (flaviventris) in that they have thicker and more prominent black markings on the head, neck and belly.
Taxonomy
This species belongs to genus Pezoporus, which also includes the night parrot (P. occidentalis). The genus name comes from the Ancient Greek word pezoporos, meaning "walking, going on foot."<p>Pezoporus belongs to the tribe Pezoporini (ground parrots and allies) which includes Neophema and Neopsephotus. It is part of parrot subfamily Platycercinae and family Psittaculidae, the Old World Parrots.<p>There are currently three recognised subspecies of P. wallicus<p>The western ground parrot (P. w. flaviventris) was once considered a separate species from the nominate subspecies based on a mitochondrial DNA study conducted in 2010. However, due to minimal morphological differences between the two and the split being based only on a single mitochondrial gene, the two are now considered to be conspecific and are only recognised as separate subspecies.
- Scientific name
- Pezoporus wallicus
- Authority
- (Kerr, 1792)
- Order
- Psittaciformes
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Genus
- Pezoporus
Range and habitat
This species is endemic to Australia. Each subspecies occurs within its own geographically separated distribution. <p>Subspecies wallicus, the eastern ground parrot, occurs in fragmented populations in coastal areas of south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is distributed as far north as near Fraser or K'gari Island, and as far south as Portland. It was formerly present in South Australia, but has since gone regionally extinct. The eastern ground parrot occurs mainly in dry or moist coastal heathland or sedgeland with a dense foliage cover and a high density of favoured food plants.<p>Subspecies flaviventris, the western ground parrot, only occurs in two disjunct populations in southern Western Australia, one in Fitzgerald River National Park, the other in Cape Arid National Park and Nuytsland Nature Reserve. It inhabits low, dry or swampy heathland near the coast, usually in areas that have been unburnt for long periods of time.<p>Subspecies leachi, the Tasmanian ground parrot, is endemic to Tasmania, which hosts the largest population of the species as a whole. The Tasmanian ground parrot population is suspected to consist of more than 100,000 birds.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
Although the species is listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to the species' large distribution and population size as a whole, subspecies P. w. flaviventris has been listed as "Critically Endangered" on the EPBC Act List of Threatened Fauna. It is estimated that there are fewer than 150 birds remaining in the wild, making it one of the rarest parrots in Australia. <p>Subspecies P. w. wallicus has been listed as "Vulnerable" on both the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 in New South Wales and the Nature Conservation (Animals) Regulation 2020 in Queensland. In South Australia, it has been listed as "Endangered" on the list of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972, despite being locally extinct. Its last confirmed sighting in South Australia was in Port MacDonnell in January 1945<p>The species is listed in "Appendix I" by CITES.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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