Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius)
Eastern Rosella

Eastern Rosella

Platycercus eximius

The Eastern Rosella, Platycercus eximius, is a striking bird with a vivid array of colours. It measures approximately 30 cm (12 inches) in length and is adorned with a red head and white cheeks. The beak is a pristine white, and the eyes are a deep brown. The bird's upper breast is a radiant red, transitioning to a yellow on the lower breast and fading into a pale green across the abdomen. The back and shoulders are covered in black feathers, each edged with yellowish or greenish margins, creating a scalloped effect. The wings and lateral tail feathers boast a bluish hue, while the tail itself is a dark green. The legs are a subtle grey. Sexual dimorphism is subtle, with the female being slightly duller and possessing an underwing stripe, which the adult male lacks. Juvenile Eastern Rosellas are more muted in colour and also display the underwing stripe.

Identification Tips

To identify the Eastern Rosella, look for the distinctive red head, white cheeks, and scalloped black feathers on the back. The male's vibrant plumage and absence of an underwing stripe can help differentiate it from the female. Juveniles can be recognized by their duller coloration and the presence of the underwing stripe.

Habitat

The Eastern Rosella favours lightly wooded areas, open forests, woodlands, as well as gardens, bushlands, and parks. It thrives in environments where trees and open spaces intermingle.

Distribution

This species is native to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It has also been introduced to New Zealand, where it has established feral populations in the North Island and around Dunedin in the South Island.

Breeding

During the breeding season, a sign that Eastern Rosellas are ready to mate is the exchange of food between potential partners. Their nesting hollows are quite deep and located high up in trees, providing safety for their young. Eastern Rosellas are known to breed primarily in the spring, although they may also breed in the summer if conditions permit. They are capable of laying a clutch of two to nine eggs.

Similar Species

The Eastern Rosella can be confused with the Pale-headed Rosella, especially where their ranges overlap and hybridization occurs. However, the Eastern Rosella can be distinguished by its specific coloration and the larger white cheek patches of the Tasmanian subspecies.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Eastern Rosella is varied, consisting mainly of fruits, seeds, flowers, and insects, which they forage from the ground or among foliage.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List categorizes the Eastern Rosella as Least Concern, indicating that the species does not currently face a significant risk of extinction in the wild.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Eastern Rosellas on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Old World Parrots

Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
SuperOliviaGirl
Really great app
It’s easy to use and it’s fun to log the birds you notice on a walk or just in your garden. There’s a option to record the birds you see in a session which is really nice. Good excuse to stop for a while and just watch birds. I am also enjoying the information part where you can find out fact about birds from all over the world.
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
Viperray5
Loving it
I really enjoy being able to interact with other birders on this platform! This seems like a great way to meet other birders and find some new spots.
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
I’ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said it’s like a real life Pokémon Go for birds. They’re not far off! It’s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
JCBirding
Just what birding needs
We need more fun in birding, for years it has had a reputation for being up tight and stuffy and only perused by retirees and anoraks. Birda helps change that perception and firmly brings birding into the 21st century! Fun, interactive while still contributing to science and conservation. If you aren’t on it, why not??
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
SW H
Wonderful App
Birda is my go to app for keeping records of my bird sightings and sessions. It has fantastic information which is great at aiding identification. With all the updates that are coming in the new year, this app is something special.
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.