Orange-bellied Parrot

1. Bright green upperparts with yellow underparts and a distinctive orange patch on the lower belly

2. Blue wings and a thin mid-blue band between the eyes

3. Listen for soft buzzing chatter and high-pitched, thin “ziiiit” calls

This ground-feeding parrot consumes seeds from a variety of plants that change seasonally. During breeding, it forages on buttongrass plains, feeding on seeds from sedgeland plants. In winter, it relies on seeds of saltmarsh plants, shifting food sources as the season progresses. Breeding occurs from November to December in hollows 8–25 meters high in living eucalypts, with females laying 3–6 eggs and incubating them for about 21 days; young fledge after roughly five weeks.

The Orange-bellied Parrot breeds only in the Melaleuca region of southwest Tasmania, nesting in tree hollows in small copses adjacent to buttongrass plains. After breeding, it migrates northward in March-April, stopping over on Bass Strait islands (notably King Island) and wintering in coastal saltmarshes from southeastern South Australia to southern Victoria. The majority of the wild population is found around Port Phillip Bay and coastal areas near the South Australia–Victoria border.