Blue-winged parrot

Blue-winged Parrot
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder	Psittacimorphae
Order	Psittaciformes
Family Information
Family	Psittacidae
Tribe Information
Tribe	Platycercini
Genus Information
Genus	Neophema
Species Information
Species	N. chrysostoma
Population statistics
Conservation status	Least concern

The Blue-winged parrot or blue-banded parrot (Neophema chrysostoma) is a small species of parrot native to southern Australia.

Description

The Blue-winged Parrot is slightly larger than a budgerigar, about 11 inches in length. It is largely light-to-olive green in color, giving way to yellow on the lower belly. The upper wing coverts and scapulars are a dark blue, giving the bird its name; in addition, the bird bears a thin blue band on the forehead running from eye to eye. Females are similar, but the plumage is slightly duller.

Habitat and range

Blue-winged parrots are primarily found in Victoria and Tasmania, with smaller populations in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. They prefer a grassy or grassland environment, from coastal areas inland to semi-arid locations, where they forage for seeds and herbaceous plants on the ground. They are also seen in areas altered by man, i.e. the manicured lawns of suburbia, airfields or golf courses.

Blue-winged parrots migrate to Tasmania August to October, where they breed; they leave for the mainland March to April. Both parents take turns feeding their young, but it's the females alone that incubate and tend to the chicks inside a cavity within a tree trunk.