Superb Parrot

(Polytelis swainsoni)
Also known as Barraband

Live:: Interior of New South Wales and Northern Victoria.

Habitat: Found in eucalyptus woodlands along rivers, particularly the Murrumbidgee and Castlereagh Rivers. Travel widely within a small range, depending on eucalyptus flowering.

Diet: In the wild: Seeds fruits, nuts, berries, nectar and blossoms. Barley grass, burr medic, spiky wattle, milk thistle and eucalyptus blossom. Also visit paddocks after harvest to eat seed left on ground.
Zoo diet: Seed mix, fruit vegetables and browse. Enclosure cleaned twice weekly.

Breeding: September - December.
Nest: High up in a hole in a eucalypt tree, usually by water. Lined with decayed wood dust.
Eggs: 4-6, incubated by female for 20 days. Male feeds her 2-3 times a day.

General: Size to 40cm.
Male: General plumage green, with yellow on under parts. Blue crown, forehead and throat. Yellow cheeks.
Neck has a wide scarlet band. Green tail, black below. Coral-pink beak. Yellow-orange eyes. Grey legs.
Female: Green head, pale face. Grey-green chin and throat. Orange-yellow thighs. Rose-pink margin and underside of tail.
Juveniles: Similar to female, pale brown eyes.

Call: During flight a frequent long warble. Soft twittering when feeding or roosting.

Habits: Generally small flocks separating into pairs during the breeding season. Feed in the early mornings and late afternoon. Flight is swift with backward swept wings. Fly high when travelling long distances.

Chicks: Leave the nest at 30 days but stay with parents. Adult plumage by 12 months.