From Opus

Alternative Name(s): Western Ringneck

Barnardius zonarius

Photo by Neil
Photographed at Alice Springs, Australia.

[edit] Identification

33cm. It is a green bird, with yellow round its hindneck. The wings and tail are green and blue.

[edit] Distribution

Western half of Australia. The subspecies semitorquatus is considered threatened by the introduced Rainbow Lorikeets that aggressively compete for nesting places. Otherwise, this species is considered under "Least Concern".

[edit] Taxonomy

This species and the Mallee Ringneck were in the past considered one species under the name of Australian Ringneck; most subspecies of Ringneck have been considered as distinct species in the past; the following are currently included in Port Lincoln Ringneck:

• Subspecies zonarius (the Port Lincoln Parrot or Port Lincoln Ringneck) (B. z. (Shaw, 1805)) is common from Port Lincoln in the south east to Alice Springs in the north east, and from the Karri and Tingle forests of South Western Australia up to the Pilbara district.
• Subspecies occidentalis has in the past been included under zonarius; it is found in south-western Western Australia.
• Subspecies semitorquatus (The Twenty Eight ), is found in the western forests of Western Australia.

Whether Mallee Ringneck and the present species are really distinct, or if there possibly are more than two species is not really settled yet.

[edit] Habitat

Eucalypt woodlands and eucalypt-lined watercourses but also drier habitats.

[edit] Behaviour

It breeds in tree cavities. The diet includes nectar, insects, seeds, fruit, and native and introduced bulbs. It will eat orchard-grown fruit, and is sometimes seen as a pest by farmers.

[edit] External Links

• View more images of this species on the ABID