Parrots, Lorikeets, Corellas, Rosellas and Cockatoos

Photo: Rainbow lorikeets.

Parrots, lorikeets, corellas, rosellas and cockatoos include some of the most showy, noisy and colourful of all of the bird species in Australia, whilst other species are rare, timid and evasive. The calls of these birds provide a constant soundtrack to any visit to Australia and there are a few endemic species in New Zealand.

Scaley-breasted lorikeet with rainbow lorikeets. Rainbow lorikeet actually has quite a restricted range in Australia, but since it occurs all along the south east coast and east coast and also at Perth it's therefore found in all of the main human conurbations in the country and perhaps appears more widespread than it actually is. This is emphasised by the fact that where it does occur it's usually very abundant and the commonest parrot. In my experience scaley-breasted lorikeet is much scarcer and appears in small numbers in amongst flocks of other parrots.

Rainbow lorikeet.

Sulphur-crested cockatoos are large and noisy birds found mainly in the north and east of Australia. They're pretty common in city parks including Sydney Botanic Gardens. The birds in this photo were at Finns Reserve in Melbourne.

Galah are a widespread parrot found over the whole of Australia.

Little corolla are another widespread parrot, found over much of the country except the far south and western central region.

This is a male red-tailed black-cockatoo displaying by flicking it's crest. This is one of the largest species of parrot in Australia and certainly one of my favourites. They're a bit like harriers in flight.

Yellow-tailed black-cockatoo at Wilsons Promontory. Less widespread than it's larger cousin, this species is mainly found in south east Australia.

Australian ringneck is a widespread species which occurs all over Australia except the north and east coasts. This bird is of the race zonarius or Port Lincoln Parrot. Photographed in Port Lincoln!

In my opinion the grass parrots are the most beautiful of all of the Australian parrots. This is the species I have seen most often, rock parrots photographed here at Whalers Way about 30 miles from Port Lincoln whereas the bird in the photograph below was at Greyhound Road one the edge of the town itself.

Rock parrot.

Rock parrot

Rock parrots

Rock parrot

Eastern rosella, photographed here in Melbourne Botanic Gardens, is a species restricted to the east and south east of Australia.

Crimson rosella is also a species of the east and south east.

Long-billed corolla is mainly a species of the south east though there are one or two populations outside of this range, notably at Perth.

Red-rumped parrots in Melbourne, restricted to the south east of the country.

Australian king parrot photographed at Kennet river on the Great Ocean Road.

This impressive looking bird is a Kaka or forest parrot, a New Zealand endemic. This bird was photographed on Tiritiri island where many endemics flourish due to the total extermination of alien predators such as cats at possums which devastate the native wildlife on the mainland.

This is another New Zealand endemic, red-crowned parakeet, also on Tiritiri.