Swift Parrot
Lathamus discolor
Summary 4
The Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor) breeds in Tasmania and migrates north to south eastern Australia from Griffith-Warialda in New South Wales and west to Adelaide in the winter. It is related to the rosellas, with the feeding habits of a lorikeet. It is the only member in the genus Lathamus.
Conservation status 5
It is thought that only 1000 pairs remain in the wild. Habitat destruction and loss of old trees with nesting hollows are critical factors in its decline. Sugar gliders are the major predator of nesting parrots in mainland Tasmania, accounting for 85% of kills, but are absent from Bruny and Maria Islands.
Swift Parrots are listed as endangered on the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Description 5
The Swift Parrot is about 25 cm (10 in) long and has long pointed wings and long tapering tail feathers. It is mainly green with bluish crown and red on the face above and below the beak. The adult female is slightly duller, and the juvenile has a dark brown iris and a pale orange bill.
Sources and Credits
- (c) original photograph by #if:909015072 frank wouters]|frank wouters #if:|from {location}|. *derivitive work Snowmanradio 18:52, 4 October 2008 (UTC), some rights reserved (CC BY), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Lathamus_discolor_-Antwerp_Zoo-8-3c.jpg
- (c) Leo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/0ystercatcher/5007726782/
- (c) Biodiversity Heritage Library, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8100/8507269572_6cfa782bde_o.jpg
- Adapted by Brittany Burson from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathamus_discolor
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swift_Parrot
More Info
Range Map
iNat Map
| Color | green, red |
|---|---|
| Found | only in australia |
| Status | endangered |
