- Barnardius barnardi
Identification
Also known as the Mallee parrot.
34cm.
Blue-green body, red band above beak and blue cheeks, V-shaped brown-blue band extending from the eyes, back around the head, to meet a narrow yellow collar at the nape. Irregular band of orange-yellow across the belly, with the back and mantle a deep blue-black. Yellow shoulders, blue flight feathers, underwing coverts and central tail feathers. The eye is dark brown; bill is pale grey; feet and legs are grey.
Distribution
Taxonomy
Habitat
Mallee scrub, open woodlands and in trees along watercourses.
Behaviour
Their diet includes seeds of grasses and herbs, fruit, blossoms, leaf buds and insects and their larvae.
The nest is made in a hollow by male and female who line the bottom with decaying wood dust and making a shallow depression for the eggs. 4-6 white eggs are laid and incubated by the female for 20-21 days. The young leave after about 30 days.
