| Naretha bluebonnet | |
|---|---|
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| Naretha Bluebonnet | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Psittaciformes |
| Family: | Psittaculidae |
| Genus: | Northiella |
| Species: | N. narethae |
| Binomial name | |
| Northiella narethae (White, HL, 1921) | |
The Naretha bluebonnet (Northiella narethae) or Naretha parrot is a bird found in a remote and arid region of Australia. It is one of two species in the genus Northiella , and was first recorded in 1921 in Central Australia.
It was first described by Henry Luke White in 1921 as Psephotus narethae. An associate of White's, the field worker F. Lawson Whitlock, had come across a railway official on the Trans-Australian Railway with a pet parrot that had been caught at Naretha, which corresponded with no known species. [1] Later, White was heading to Western Australia on business and stopped in Zanthus to talk to the official and obtained three skins which he conveyed to the museum in Melbourne. [1] The bluebonnet species was included for some time in the Psephotus genus with the Naretha, despite the very pronounced physical and behavioural differences to other birds in this genus. One of the biggest differences being that unlike the obvious sexual dimorphism of the Psephotus genus, the Naretha (and bluebonnets in general) sexual colouration of plumage is alike. The bluebonnet also has pointed or spatulate tips on the first five primary flight feathers. The behavioural variations of bluebonnets include characteristic jerky, bobbing movements which are accentuated with excitement or fear and they have very unique call notes; unlike any other Australian bird. [2] The Naretha parrot was subsequently classified as a subspecies (N. h. narethæ) of Northiella haematogaster , the eastern bluebonnet. [3] A molecular study published in 2015 by Gaynor Dolman and Leo Joseph confirmed its genetic isolation from the eastern bluebonnet and recommended it be reinstated as a separate species. [4] [5] Henry White was a wealthy pastoralist and was also a well known ornithologist and collector. He had enlisted the services of Whitlock to collect avifauna on this occasion in the areas of the western Nullarbor plain; during these times - in the late 1910s Australia was creating a significant east-west railway network - and Whitlock traveled to the area via train. Whitlock set up his exploration camp at the railway siding settlement of Zanthus and it was while he was staying at this town he saw the pet bird of a railway employee, deMarcaux, and it was a bird he had not seen before. DeMarcaux told Whitlock this pet bird had been taken from a nest, 5 years earlier at the railway line settlement of Naretha; which was 120km to the east of Zanthus. [6]
The Naretha bluebonnet is smaller than the eastern bluebonnet, at around 28 cm (11 in) in length. The legs and feet are dark grey, and the iris is dark brown. The adult male has a two tonal facial pattern with a lighter green-blue forehead, lores and the area above the eye contrasting with the rest of the face which is a purplish-blue. The light grey-brown head, foreneck and breast are marked with pale steaks and diffuse spots. The back is olive-grey. The belly, vent and thighs are a uniform yellow with the red being restricted to the undertail-coverts area. The lesser wing coverts are blue and outer median wing coverts red, while the inner median and greater wing coverts, and inner secondaries a yellow-olive colour. The central tail feathers are tinged with pale blue. The adult female has a duller blue on the forehead, [7] and reduced colour on wings and tail, [1] and with no tint of orange on the belly. [7] It is smaller overall at around 26 cm (10 in) in length. [1]
The Naretha bluebonnet is reported to have been common in the arid Nullarbor region, and became rarer during the 20th century. The localised range of individuals is thought to make the species highly endemic to an area on the border of Western and South Australia. [5] [8] Narethas are located in what is termed the Myall woodlands - this is a woodland dominated by acacia species. [9] [10] The Naretha homelands extend over a large and isolated range. They are often observed more readily in areas where water has become an altered focal point - notably water troughs for stock. [11]
Breeding takes place in hollows in she-oak (Casuarinaceae) trees. The oval eggs are matte white. [1] Breeding begins early and Narethas are laying their first eggs by mid July. In the wild the site chosen is often a she-oak tree hollow which has a small knot hole entrance. However observers have also reported they have seen hens of the species emerge from tree crevices and splits rather than actual holes. The scarcity of suitable trees in the Naretha homelands is perhaps the most likely explanation as to why a bird would squeeze itself in such a small space. [12]
Platycercinae is a subfamily of birds belonging to the family Psittaculidae that inhabit Oceania. It consists of two tribes, the ground parrots and allies (Pezoporini) and the many species of broad-tailed parrot (Platycercini).
A broad-tailed parrot is any of about 35–40 species belonging to the tribe Platycercini. The members of the tribe are small to medium in size, and all are native to Australasia, Australia in particular, but also New Zealand, New Caledonia, and nearby islands.
The red-rumped parrot, also known as the red-backed parrot or grass parrot, is a common bird of south-eastern Australia, particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin.
The orange-bellied parrot is a small parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only three species of parrot that migrate. It was described by John Latham in 1790. A small parrot around 20 cm (8 in) long, it exhibits sexual dimorphism. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upper parts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller green in colour. All birds have a prominent two-toned blue frontal band and blue outer wing feathers.
The golden-shouldered parrot, also known as the alwal, is a rare bird of southern Cape York Peninsula, in Queensland, Australia. A small parrot related to the more common red-rumped parrot, the hooded parrot of the Northern Territory and the extinct paradise parrot of Queensland and New South Wales.
The eastern bluebonnet, also known as the greater bluebonnet, is an Australian parrot, one of two species in the genus Northiella. It was originally included in the genus Psephotus but due to distinctive physical and behavioural differences was reclassified into its own genus in 1994 by ornithologists and taxonomists Christidis and Boles. The bluebonnet is a medium-sized inland parrot commonly found in the interior of southeastern and central-southern Australia. It is adapted to life in semi-arid regions but can also flourish in regions of medium rainfall towards the eastern and southern extremities of its range.
Bourke's parrot, also known as the blue-vented parrot, sundown parrot, pink-bellied parrot, Bourke's parakeet, Bourke or "Bourkie", is a small parrot found in Australia and the only species in its genus, Neopsephotus. It is approximately 19 cm long and weighs around 45 grams. It is named after General Sir Richard Bourke, Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.
The blue-headed parrot, also known as the blue-headed pionus is a medium-sized parrot of about 27 cm in length. The body is mostly green, with a blue head and neck, and red undertail coverts. It is a resident in tropical and subtropical South America and southern Central America, from Costa Rica, Venezuela and the Caribbean island of Trinidad south to Bolivia and Brazil.
Rosellas are in a genus that consists of six species and nineteen subspecies. These colourful parrots from Australia are in the genus Platycercus. Platycercus means "broad-tailed" or "flat-tailed", reflecting a feature common to the rosellas and other members of the broad-tailed parrot tribe. Their diet is mainly seeds and fruit.
The red-capped parrot is a species of broad-tailed parrot native to southwestern Australia. It was described by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820, with no subspecies recognised. It has long been classified in its own genus owing to its distinctive elongated beak, though genetic analysis shows that it lies within the lineage of the Psephotellus parrots and that its closest relative is the mulga parrot. Not easily confused with other parrot species, it has a bright crimson crown, green-yellow cheeks, and a distinctive long bill. The wings, back, and long tail are dark green, and the underparts are purple-blue. The adult female is very similar though sometimes slightly duller than the male; her key distinguishing feature is a white stripe on the wing under-surface. Juveniles are predominantly green.
The scarlet-chested parrot, known alternately as scarlet-breasted parrot, orange-throated parrot or splendid parrot, is a parrot endemic to central South Australia and inland southern Western Australia. The species is sexually dimorphic; the male has a bright blue face and scarlet chest and yellow underparts, amid overall green plumage, while the female is similar but lacks the red chest. These nomadic parakeets move readily from the Great Victoria Desert region into neighbouring areas. These interruptions are triggered by a search for more favourable conditions. They can survive quite well without access to drinking water, however, as succulent plants help meet much of their fluid requirement. They feed mainly on grass seeds and are most commonly sighted in spinifex.
The golden-collared macaw or yellow-collared macaw is a small mostly green Central South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It has a bright yellow patch on the back of its neck/upper shoulders that gives the species its name. In aviculture, it is one of a number of smaller macaws often called "mini-macaws".
The mulga parrot is endemic to arid scrublands and lightly timbered grasslands in the interior of southern Australia. The male mulga parrot is multicolored, from which the older common name of many-coloured parrot is derived.
The turquoise parrot is a species of parrot in the genus Neophema native to Eastern Australia, from southeastern Queensland, through New South Wales and into North-Eastern Victoria. It was described by George Shaw in 1792. A small lightly built parrot at around 20 cm (7.9 in) long and 40 g in weight, it exhibits sexual dimorphism. The male is predominantly green with more yellowish underparts and a bright turquoise blue face. Its wings are predominantly blue with red shoulders. The female is generally duller and paler, with a pale green breast and yellow belly, and lacks the red wing patch.
The rock parrot is a species of grass parrot native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1841, it is a small parrot 22 to 24 cm long and weighing 50–60 g with predominantly olive-brown upperparts and more yellowish underparts. Its head is olive with light blue forecheeks and lores, and a dark blue frontal band line across the crown with lighter blue above and below. The sexes are similar in appearance, although the female tends to have a duller frontal band and less blue on the face. Two subspecies are recognised.
The blue-winged parrot, also known as the blue-banded parakeet or blue-banded grass-parakeet, is a small parrot found in Tasmania and southeast mainland Australia. It is partly migratory, with populations of blue-winged parrots travelling to Tasmania for the summer. The parrot is sexually dimorphic – the males have more blue on the wings and a two-toned blue frontal band on the head, while females are duller and have more green on the wings and a wingbar. Both sexes have predominantly olive-green plumage. Predominantly a feeder on the ground, the blue-winged parrot mainly eats seeds of grasses. It adapts readily to captivity.
The Nullarbor quail-thrush is a species of bird in the family Cinclosomatidae. It is the only Australian bird endemic to the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia.
The term bluebonnet refers to the two species of Australian parrots in the genus Northiella. The genus name honours Australian ornithologist Alfred John North.
Frederick Bulstrode Lawson Whitlock (1860-1953) was an ornithological writer and oölogist, active in England and across Western Australia.
