Eastern ground parrot. Credit: Brent Barrett

The eastern ground parrot, listed as vulnerable in NSW, looks a little like the native budgerigar. It is yellowish-green all over with darker green barring - and a red patch above its beak. A medium sized parrot, it grows to around 30 centimetres.

Where

The shy and elusive eastern ground parrot is rarely seen unless it is disturbed from the heath - you’re unlikely to see it in flight as it prefers to run away through the dense undergrowth. At Booderee you’re most likely to see this parrot in heath land or dense low vegetation near swamps - so near Ryans Swamp or Blacks Waterhole.

Feeding

As its name suggests, the ground parrot spends most of its time on the ground where it forages for the seeds of grasses and herbaceous shrubs. It is usually well hidden in low vegetation and may be easier to hear than see.

Breeding

Eastern ground parrots construct nests lined with chewed grass stems, hidden under low bushes or hollow grass tussocks. The female incubates the eggs and broods the young, with the male parrot feeding the female and the young hatchlings.

Sounds

Listen for the parrot’s call at sunrise and sunset: a high pitched tsee-tsee-tsee-tsit.