BLUE-WINGED PARROT FARES BETTER
WHILE the orange-bellied parrot exists on the brink of extinction, its close relative the blue-winged parrot seems secure.
It is hard to pinpoint the reason for the difference, why one bird is relatively safe while the other hangs by a thread. That “thread” is not there by chance; there is an enormous amount of effort put in to keep it strong.
It is largely the dedication of the orange-bellied parrot recovery team in Victoria and Tasmania that has saved the bird from extinction.
The difference between these species of parrots lies in two features – where they nest and where they feed.
The OBP nests in only one corner of Tasmania and, like many birds, migrates across to the mainland in autumn.
Once here, they frequent coastal saltmarsh areas, feeding on the tiny seeds of only a few species of plants.
By contrast, the bluewinged parrot nests in Tasmania and southeast mainland Australia.
It has a much wider range of plants on which it feeds, in coastal areas but also in woodland and forest.
Blue-winged parrots will nest in almost any hollow that is the right size, not only in trees but even in hollow stumps and fence posts.
The two parrots look alike, and it can take an experienced bird observer to pick the subtle differences in plumage.
This has caused confusion in the past with some early records of OBPs being doubtful.
The blue-winged parrot may be seen occasionally perched on farm fences locally, and it is often disturbed from beside the roads in the Otway Ranges, particularly in summer.