| Rock Parrot | |
|---|---|
| Rock Parrot, Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittacidae |
| Subfamily: | Platycercinae |
| Tribe: | Neophemini |
| Genus: | Neophema |
| Species: | N. petrophila |
| Binomial name | |
| Neophema petrophila (Gould, 1841) |
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The Rock Parrot (Neophema petrophila), also known as the Rock Elegant, is a parrot which is endemic to coastal South Australia, southern Western Australia, and that continent's offshore islands, including Rottnest Island. It is a small, predominantly olive-green parrot. Grass seeds form the bulk of its diet.
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The Rock Parrot was described by ornithologist John Gould in 1841, its specific name petrophila derived from the Greek petros/πετρος 'rock' and philos/φιλος 'loving'.[1]
The Rock Parrot is 22 cm (9 in) long and predominantly olive-brown in colour with a dark blue frontal band line above with lighter blue. The lores and parts of the cheek are pale blue, this is less extensive in females. The breast is olive-grey, and duller in females, while abdomen and vent are yellow. The wings are predominantly olive with outer flight feathers blue. The yellow-edged tail has shades of olive and blue. The bill and legs are grey and the eyes dark brown. Juveniles are duller and lack the frontal bands.[2]
Rocky islands and coastal dune areas are the preferred habitats for this species, which is found from Robe, South Australia westwards across coastal South and Western Australia to Shark Bay.[2]
Rock Parrots eat seeds of grasses, shrubs and succulent plants, such as Carpobrotus species, in coastal habitats. They can be approached easily while feeding.[2]