Birds
Superb parrot
polytelis swainsonii
IUCN Red ListVulnerable
Superb parrot
- Description
- The superb parrot is a slender, graceful parrot reaching about 40 cm in length. Males are strikingly marked: bright grass-green plumage set off by a vivid yellow forehead and throat and a crimson band across the chest. Females stay plain green with a bluish face, so the sexes are easy to tell apart at a glance.
- Habitat
- It inhabits riverine woodlands and open eucalypt forest — especially stands of old river red gum — along the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers in south-eastern Australia.
- Diet
- It feeds on grass and herb seeds, fruit, buds, flowers and nectar, and will occasionally take insects.
- Reproduction
- Pairs nest in the hollows of old trees. The female lays four to six eggs and incubates them for about 22 days while the male feeds her throughout.
- Lifespan
- Around 15 years in the wild, and over 25 years in human care.
- Did you know?
- The colourful yellow-and-red male is one of Australia's most beautiful parrots, while the female stays quietly green — a marked sexual dimorphism that is fairly unusual among parrots.
Homeland & habitat
Where the superb parrot lives
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South-eastern AustraliaEndemic to south-eastern Australia, living in riverine woodlands along the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers.
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Native range
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10 facts about the superb parrot
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Conservation status
Species vulnerability index
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Vulnerable
Endangered
Critically Endangered
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