Blue-winged Parrot

The Blue-winged Parrot, Neophema chrysostoma, also known as the Blue-banded Parakeet or Blue-banded Grass-Parakeet, is a small, sexually dimorphic parrot. Males are adorned with more blue on their wings and a striking two-toned blue frontal band on the head. Females, on the other hand, are somewhat duller, with more green on the wings and a wingbar. Both sexes boast a predominantly olive-green plumage.

Identification Tips

Adult males can be identified by their two-toned facial band—ultramarine above and paler turquoise blue below—above but not reaching the eyes. Their crown is tinged with yellow, and they have a pale green throat and breast, with a yellow belly. The wing coverts and under wing coverts are a deep blue, and the tail is blue-grey. The bill is blue-grey, and the iris is brown. Females are less vibrant, with dull olive underparts and less pronounced blue on the wings and frontal band. Juveniles resemble females but lack the frontal band.

Habitat

The Blue-winged Parrot thrives in a variety of open habitats, including savannah woodland, grasslands, orchards, farmlands, marshes, heath, and dunes, up to 1,200 meters above sea level.

Distribution

This species is found across southeastern Australia, from eastern South Australia and Victoria to central and western New South Wales and into Queensland. It is a migratory bird, with many individuals traveling to Tasmania to breed in the spring and summer, and returning to the mainland to winter. Some, however, remain in Tasmania or on the mainland throughout the year.

Behaviour

The Blue-winged Parrot is known for its terrestrial feeding habits and is one of only three parrot species that undertake regular yearly migrations over a sea or ocean. Flock sizes vary, with pairs during breeding season and up to 2,000 birds gathering before autumn migration.

Breeding

Breeding occurs from September to January, with the possibility of one to two broods each season. Nesting takes place in hollows of live or dead trees, often eucalypts, and the clutch typically consists of four to six glossy white eggs.

Similar Species

The Blue-winged Parrot can be distinguished from the Elegant Parrot and the Orange-bellied Parrot by the greater amount of blue on its wings and the different shades of green in their plumage.

Diet and Feeding

Primarily ground feeders, these parrots consume seeds of various grasses, including wallaby grass, silver hairgrass, pale sundew in Tasmania, and Poa caespitosa and the introduced capeweed on the mainland.

Conservation status

The Blue-winged Parrot is currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.