Ground Parrot

1. Predomitly green plumage with extensive black barring and yellow markings

2. Narrow red or orange-red band above the bill (adults), pale yellow eye

3. Usually detected by its distinctive high-pitched whistling call that ascends in pitch at dawn and dusk

Ground Parrots are almost exclusively ground-dwelling, running through dense vegetation and rarely perching in trees or shrubs. They feed on seeds from a wide variety of heathland plants, consuming up to 8,000 seeds from as many as 60 plant species in a day. Breeding occurs from July to January, with nests being shallow scrapes in the soil, lined with leaves or stalks, and hidden at the base of tussocks or under bushes. Clutch size is typically 3–4 eggs (up to 6 in Tasmania), with an incubation period of about 21 days. Chicks are well-camouflaged in thick greyish-black down and leave the nest after 20–28 days, often before they can fully fly. The species is highly vulnerable due to habitat loss, inappropriate fire regimes, and predation by introduced foxes and cats. Too frequent or too little fire, habitat clearing, and introduced predators are the main threats.

Ground Parrots inhabit dense coastal heathlands, sedgelands, and moorlands, often with a mix of burnt and unburnt vegetation, in southeastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania (including offshore islands), and two small populations in southern Western Australia. They prefer areas with dense, low vegetation (0.5–2 m high), especially 5–10 years post-fire in shrub-dominated heath or 15–18 years post-fire in sedge and grass tree habitats. In Tasmania, they are found in buttongrass moorlands. These birds are extremely elusive and are most often detected by their distinctive calls at dawn and dusk, or when flushed briefly into flight before quickly dropping back into cover`.`