Princess Parrot

(Polytelis alexandrae)

Live: Arid interior in Central and Western Australia.

Habitat: Open sandy country.

Diet: In the wild: Seeds of the spinifex and mulga grasses are important food items. Also eat fruits, berries and blossom when available.
Zoo diet: Seed mix, fruit, vegetables and browse. Enclosure cleaned twice weekly.

Gestation: September - January.
Nest: Usually in a hollow limb or tree in a eucalypt tree. Can be as many as ten nests in one tree.
Eggs: 4-6, incubated by the female for 20 days.

Status: Rare

General: Size to 45cm.
Male: Light blue crown. Blue-grey forehead and sides of head. Rose-pink chin, throat and neck.
Blue-grey breast and abdomen. Rose-pink thighs. Bright yellow-green and dull pale blue wings.
Olive green tail, long and slender.
Coral-pink beak. Orange eyes. Dark grey legs.
Female: Grey-mauve crown. Grey-blue rump. Tail: shorter than male's.
Juveniles: Resemble females.

Call: Quiet, seldom call; a loud cackling call and soft twittering when disturbed.

Habits:Usually in small flocks of 15-20. Feed on the ground, perch in trees or scrub near water ways. Move to new areas depending on water supply and flowering of acacias. Undulating flight, pause in mid air before landing.

Chicks: Young birds leave the nest approx 5 weeks after hatching. Leave the breeding area with their parents.