Mulga Parrot

1. Male’s bright green body with yellow forehead, red hindcrown, and yellow and blue in wings

2. Female’s olive-brown plumage with red shoulder patch and pale underwing stripe

3. Clear, rising “whitt” or “zit-zit” call, often repeated at regular intervals

Mulga Parrots feed mainly on seeds of native grasses, herbs, trees, and shrubs, including mulga, saltbushes, and other arid-adapted plants. They forage mostly on the ground in pairs or small family groups, and are known for their swift, undulating flight and cryptic behaviour when feeding.

Breeding occurs mainly from July to December, but may extend throughout the year after rainfall. Nests are usually in hollows of mature trees, often eucalypts or mulgas, but they may also use stumps or earth banks if tree hollows are scarce. The female lays 4–6 (sometimes up to 7\) white eggs and incubates them alone for 18–21 days, while the male feeds her at the nest. Chicks fledge after about 4–5 weeks, and both parents help feed the young after they leave the nest.

Mulga Parrots are widespread across the drier interior of southern Australia, from western New South Wales and northwestern Victoria through South Australia and into central and western Western Australia, including the Pilbara and Wheatbelt regions. They inhabit lightly wooded grasslands, mulga and mallee scrublands, and are often found near waterholes and seasonal creeks. They are non-migratory and maintain territories year-round in suitable habitat.

The bird’s common name, "mulga," comes from the Aboriginal Yuwaalaraay language, where it originally referred to a type of shield made from Acacia wood and later to the mulga (Acacia aneura) tree itself. This tree is a vital resource for First Nations Australians and forms the core habitat for the parrot.