Superb
Parrot Polytelis swainsonii
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Superb
Parrot Polytelis swainsonii |
This long-tailed
green parrot is endemic to the Murray-Darling basin and locally common
in open woodland and riverine forest in inland NSW. However, numbers are
diminishing and the species is likely to become endangered because its
survival is threatened from two sides.
One major though
hardly recognised threat is connected with the Superb Parrot’s diet.
Birds usually feed on eucalypt blossom, fruit and native grasses. Grain
spilt from transport trucks attracts the birds and becomes a serious threat
for the animals. As the parrots feed from that grain many birds get killed
by passing vehicles. In addition, the Superb Parrot’s breeding sites,
hollows in Yellow and White Box, Blakelys Red Gum and River Red Gum trees,
have been widely destroyed through felling for firewood and land clearing.
The Foundation for
National Parks & Wildlife funds ongoing habitat and ecology surveys
to monitor the wild populations in the woodlands north of the Lachlan
River. The project team identified new breeding sites and recorded sightings
remarkably extended the known species range in the northeast of the observed
area.
Knowing all the Superb
Parrots’ breeding sites and migration patterns is essential for
the protection of its habitat including foraging sites and flight paths.
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