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  In flight

Parrots

Regent Parrot

Polytelis anthopeplus

• uncommon
• 53 km/h
• Least Concern

Canary-yellow males streak low over mallee at high speed. Pairs for life. Now endangered in parts of its range.

Population

~21,500 mature individuals globally (assessed circa 2000; subspecies anthopeplus ~20,000, probably stable; monarchoides ~1,500, possibly declining); BirdLife DataZone lists overall population trend as decreasing

Habitat

Eucalyptus woodlands and forests, mallee scrub, riverine river red gum habitats, and box woodland with cypress pine; western populations also use open forest/woodland with Salmon Gum and adjacent farmland/orchards

Fun fact

The Regent Parrot was first scientifically illustrated by artist Edward Lear in 1831, decades before he became famous for his nonsense poetry.

Range

Southern Australia in two disjunct populations: nominate subspecies in south-west Western Australia, and subspecies monarchoides along the Murray-Darling river system in south-west New South Wales, north-west Victoria, and south-east South Australia (Extent of Occurrence ~1,520,000 km²)

Diet

Primarily seeds of eucalypts, acacias, and grasses, plus fruit, leaf buds, flowers, mistletoe berries, and (especially in the west) cereal crops such as wheat

Size

0.4 m

Lifespan

25 years