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Very long-tailed, pastel-toned parrot of arid inland western deserts of Australia, typically only seen by those deliberately searching for it in the remote Great Sandy Desert, although occasionally found closer to Alice Springs or Uluru.
Vulnerable
Endemic to Australia
At a glance
FamilyOld World Parrots
SizeLarge
RarityRare
HabitatWoodland, forest edge, flowering street trees, farmland belts, and urban parkland.
Best timeMost reliable in Northern Territory from August.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Mark Carter
Range map
Range map
134visible hotspots
246visible records
5states
SparseModerateDense hotspot
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Male has glorious blue and lilac crown, pink throat, baby-blue lower belly, lime-green wing coverts, and bright red bill; female similar but colors less intense and extensive. In flight, long tail is obvious, as is the bright violet-blue rump. Calls include a sharp, ringing squeak.
Behavior
This projection is called a 'spatula' or 'spatule' and appears in mature male birds. This species is nomadic , arriving in small groups to breed and then disappearing.
Gallery