Pappagallo principessa

Identificazione

The princess parrot is a medium-sized parrot, 34 to 46 cm long and weighing between 110 and 120 g. The plumage is mostly green with a pink throat, bluish crown, and bright green shoulders. The rump is blue and the tail is long and narrow. The males have longer tail feathers and brighter coloring than females. The male also has a coral-red beak, while the female's is duller and has a greyish crown. Another difference is that the male has an orange iris, while the female's is much browner. In addition, the male of the species has a longer, projecting extension from the end of the 3rd primary (flight) feather on each side. This projection is called a 'spatula' or 'spatule' and appears in mature male birds.[citation needed]

Tassonomia

Nome scientifico

Polytelis alexandrae

Autorità

Gould, 1863

Ordine

Psittaciformi

Famiglia

Psittaculidae

Genere

Polytelis

Areale e habitat

Migrazione

Nomadic movement

Comportamento

This species is nomadic, arriving in small groups to breed and then disappearing. It is one of Australia's least known parrots because it is so elusive,[citation needed] even though it is spread across the interior of Australia. It inhabits arid woodland and scrub with spinifex, eucalypts, acacias, etc. They are unusual among parrots in engaging in mobbing behaviour against predators. They feed on the seeds of grasses and shrubs.<p>Four to six white eggs are laid which are incubated for 19 days. The chicks leave the nest about 35 days after hatching. These parakeets are truly opportunistic breeders, with pairs choosing to nest when food is plentiful. They nest in a hollow in an eucalypt or desert oak.

Conservazione

Tendenza della popolazione

stable