Double-eyed Fig-Parrot

1. Tiny size with bright green plumage and distinctive red and blue facial markings (males have more extensive red)

2. Pale underwings with a yellowish-white band visible in flight

3. High-pitched, clipped “zzzt-zzzt” or “zeet-zeet” call, usually given in flight

Double-eyed Fig Parrots are specialized frugivores, feeding primarily on figs, but also taking berries, seeds, nectar, and wood-boring insect larvae. Unique among Australian parrots, they excavate their own nest cavities in rotting or soft-wooded trees, rather than using existing hollows. Breeding generally occurs from August to December, with females laying 2–3 eggs and incubating them for 18–24 days. The young fledge after about five weeks and become independent within 1–2 weeks. While the species as a whole is not threatened, some subspecies, especially Coxen’s Fig Parrot, are critically endangered due to loss and fragmentation of lowland rainforest habitat.

Double-eyed Fig Parrots inhabit lowland rainforests and the edges of subtropical forests, especially where fruiting fig trees are present. In Australia, they are found from the Daintree region in far north Queensland south to northeastern New South Wales, with different subspecies occupying different ranges (e.g., Macleay’s Fig Parrot in the Wet Tropics, Coxen’s Fig Parrot in SE QLD and NE NSW). They feed high in the canopy, often in pairs or small groups, and are best detected by their sharp calls as they fly rapidly overhead. These parrots can also be found in parks and gardens with suitable fruiting trees.