Swift Parrot

Overview

The swift parrot (Lathamus discolor), also known as the swift waylitja, is a species of broad-tailed parrot found only in south-eastern Australia. It is a nomadic migrant that breeds in Tasmania during the summer and moves north to the mainland for the winter. The species is classified as critically endangered, with predictions suggesting it could be extinct by 2031.

Identification

• Approximately 25 cm long with long pointed wings and long tapering tail feathers.
• Mainly green plumage featuring a bluish crown, crimson forehead to throat, and crimson patches at the top edge of the wing.
• Loud, noisy, and showy with very fast, direct flight.
• Females are slightly duller than males, while juveniles have a dark brown iris and pale orange bill.

Habitat

Found in forests, woodlands, agricultural land, plantations, and urban areas across south-eastern Australia. The species migrates across Bass Strait between Tasmania, where it breeds, and the mainland, ranging from south-eastern Queensland to Adelaide. It is a nomadic migrant that settles in an area only when food is available, making its occurrence at any one location difficult to predict.

Diet

Primarily nectar feeders that prefer nectar from flowering Eucalyptus species. In Tasmania, settlement is regulated by the flowering of Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus ovata, while in winter they forage on a broader range of flowering Eucalyptus species across the mainland.

Did you know?

Introduced sugar gliders have emerged as a severe new threat by preying on breeding females and nests, a phenomenon that can cause nesting failure rates of up to 100% in areas with low mature forest cover.