Blue-winged parrot
Blue-winged Parrot | |
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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[1] |
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.