Pezoporus wallicus - Ground Parrot or Swamp Parrot
There are only three species of ground-living parrots in the world, and all three are now extremely rare.
Australia's Ground parrot Pezoporus wallicus is very shy and difficult to spot. They hide amongst vegetation in heath, swamp and grasslands and can run very quickly. They are also largely nocturnal.
Ground parrots are strong fliers even though they spend most of their time on the ground.
They like to eat the seeds of grasses and herbaceous plant, and vegetable matter, particularly green shoots.
The Ground parrot is threatened in NSW. It has declined in abundance and is threatened throughout its range. It now lives in isolated populations in coastal and near-coastal heathland and swamps.
This species occurs in sporadic areas along the south-east coast of Australia, from Frazer Island, QLD to south-eastern SA.
It also lives on some islands in Bass Strait, in Tasmania and along the southern coast of Western Australia.
Ground parrots are green with black and yellow streaks. They make a thin, high pitched call of clear, measured bell-like notes.
The Ground parrot is, like its name implies, a ground-dwelling species. It rarely flies and is hard to see. It calls almost exclusively before sunrise and after sunset.
Individual fires may cause Ground parrots to disappear from a site temporarily. Yet fires are necessary to maintain the health of the heaths and swamps on which Ground parrots depend.
Foundation Research Projects
Automated Acoustic Monitoring of Threatened Fauna
One of the ways to detect cryptic species is to listen for their calls. An innovative new method is automated digital field recorders used in conjunction with call recognition software. Such software allows days of recordings to be analysed in minutes by a computer.The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife is funding the deployment of a number of automated acoustic monitoring units by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage.
