Hue and cry – meet our colourful, noisy Peninsula parrots

Australia is known as the Land of Parrots, and the Mornington Peninsula has a good representation of these colourful members of the avian family. BirdLife Mornington Peninsula is focused on helping to preserve these parrots by installing nest boxes in some of our reserves. Parrots need tree hollows to breed, and with the clearing of some of our old eucalypt trees, hollows are becoming increasingly scarce.

BirdLife Mornington Peninsula has recently republished our bird guide for the region, Where to Find Birds around Mornington Peninsula, and it is now available at bookshops and through the branch’s website.

1. The eastern rosella is probably the most recognisable parrot in Australia due to its image on a product label. It is common across our region, seen in open forest and around our suburban landscapes.
2. The brilliant flash of red and blue seen as the bird flies by is a sight not forgotten. This is the crimson rosella. It is seen most frequently at higher elevations in our area but can be seen in coastal areas as well.
3. The sulphur-crested cockatoo is a familiar bird seen in flocks feeding in paddocks and open areas. They are noisy, gregarious birds feeding on seeds and plant material.
4. Little corellas are recent arrivals in our area and are now widespread. They assemble in large flocks that can be seen feeding in street trees and grass areas, and they make their presence known by noisy raucous calls.
5. Rainbow lorikeets need no introduction, as they inhabit all areas of the Peninsula and are generally seen as a colourful flash as they pass by. They assemble in large noisy aggregations at dusk in favoured trees.
6. Musk lorikeets are nectar-feeders following the flowering trees around our region and will appear in large numbers at localities with flowering gums. They have good camouflage in the foliage of their feeding trees and can be difficult to see. However, they do chatter when feeding.
7. Australian king parrots have colonised the Mornington Peninsula in the recent past and can be seen in higher-altitude forests and also in scattered areas elsewhere. The sexes are noticeably different, the male being spectacularly bright red and green and the female less so.
8. The ubiquitous galah is a noisy member of the cockatoo family and is well distributed right across the length and breadth of the Peninsula. They feed on grass seeds and plant material and are normally seen in pairs or flocks.
9. Yellow-tailed black cockatoos are quite often seen feeding on the cones of the introduced pine trees, their powerful beaks easily accessing the well-protected seeds. They move around in small to large flocks and are recognised by their wailing calls.
10. The red-rumped parrot is a small grass parrot whose sexes are dissimilar. The male is a brilliant mixture of greens and yellows with a distinctive red patch near the tail, while the female is a dull olive green. They are ground-feeders and have restricted distribution in open grassy forest areas in the northern part of our region.