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Eastern RosellaAlternate name(s): "White-cheeked Rosella", "Rosehill Parakeet", "Nonpareil Parrot" ![]() Size: 28-33 cm; wing span 38-47 cm Weight: 90-125 g |
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Similar |
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See Eastern
Rosella at Wikipedia ![]() |
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Photos |
Race "eximius"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Close-up frontal view of a male Eastern Rosella feeding on nectar
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
Close-up frontal view of a male Eastern Rosella feeding on seeds
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
Near-frontal view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
Near-lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella feeding on seeds
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
Lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella feeding on nectar
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
Lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella feeding on nectar
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
Dorsal view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Botanical Gardens, Adelaide, SA, April 2022]
Dorsal view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of C. Lawrence)
[Canberra, ACT, August 2005]
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FEMALE |
Lateral portrait of a female(?) Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2020]
Lateral view of a female Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay Doctors Flat Road, East Gippsland, VIC, February 2014]
Race "elecica"
This race is also called the "Golden-mantled Rosella".
Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here .
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Frontal view of a male Eastern Rosella
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2022]
Near-frontal view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]
Male Eastern Rosella looking at the observer; one can see
clearly its white cheeks, which gave the species its
alternate name
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2012]
Near-lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]
Near-lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2006]
Lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella with its head turned
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2007]
Lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2007]
Dorsal view of a male Eastern Rosella, here seen inspecting a nesting box
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]
Dorsal view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Macquarie, NSW, January 2021]
Lateral/ventral view of a male Eastern Rosella in flight
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2019]
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FEMALE |
Frontal view of a female Eastern Rosella
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2015]
Frontal view from below of a female Eastern Rosella with its tail fanned
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2012]
Dorsal view of a female Eastern Rosella
[Narrabri, NSW, November 2010]
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PAIR |
Lateral view of a pair of Eastern Rosellas feeding on greens,
male on the left
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2021]
Lateral/dorsal view of a soaking wet pair of Eastern Rosellas in
the bathtub; male on the left
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2021]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Lateral view of a juvenile Eastern Rosella
[Near Narrabri, NSW, January 2006]
Juvenile bird feasting on the seeds of a weed growing in our
lawn
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2012]
Race "diemenensis"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Frontal view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Botanic Garden, Hobart, TAS, March 2016]
Lateral view of a male Eastern Rosella
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulds Lagoon, Hobart, TAS, April 2021]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Sep - Dec | Eggs: 4 - 5 | Incubation period: 19 - 20 days | Fledging age: ca. 35 days |
In some cases a brood can be up to 8 eggs. In November 2012 we found the first chick of a clutch of four hatched after 19 days.
Nest building: ? | Incubation: Female | Dependent care: Female & male |
The male feeds the female near the nest during the time she is incubating the eggs.
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Tree hollow | Material: Wood | Height above ground: 3 - 10(?) m |
Female Eastern Rosella in the entrance of a nesting box in our
garden
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Female Eastern Rosella entering a nesting box in our garden
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Female Eastern Rosella re-entering the nest after a short absence
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 27 x 22 mm | Colour: White | Shape: Rounded |
Four Eastern Rosella eggs in a nesting box in our garden
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
The first tiny Eastern Rosella chick has hatched, three eggs are still
intact; the female has not removed all fragments of the first broken
eggshell yet
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]
Hybrids
Eastern Rosellas are known to hybridise with Pale-headed Rosellas and with Crimson Rosellas.
Pale-headed Rosella hybrids
Frontal view of a hybrid Eastern/Pale-headed Rosella
(click on image to see the bird with its head turned the other way)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2011]
Near-frontal view of a hybrid Eastern/Pale-headed Rosella
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2022]
Lateral view of a hybrid Pale-headed Rosella
checking whether all is clear before approaching a waterhole
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]
View from behind of a hybrid Eastern/Pale-headed Rosella
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2007]
Slightly different stance
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2007]
Here a very young Rosella of mixed parentage, 25 km west of
Narrabri, NSW. It is a mix between an Eastern Rosella and a
Pale-headed Rosella
[Near Narrabri, NSW, 2006]
A portrait of the little chick is available here.
Crimson Rosella hybrids
Lateral view of an
Eastern Rosella x
Crimson Rosella hybrid (photo courtesy of C. Hayne)
[Near Barraba, NSW, April 2014]
Although not 100% sure, because unable to obtain a photo for identification at the time, we think that we have also spotted a hybrid between a Crimson Rosella and an Eastern Rosella at Girraween NP (southern QLD) in July 2009.
P. & M. Juers report spotting a hybrid between a Crimson Rosella and an Eastern Rosella at Drouin, VIC (see photo below).
Male hybrid Crimson Rosella/Eastern Rosella with a female Eastern Rosella (photo courtesy of P. & M. Juers)
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive | Elementary unit: Pair |
Since, as is the case for many other parrot species, female Eastern Rosellas take on the incubation duties, they rely on the males to feed them. Therefore, males prove their mettle in a bonding ritual, by feeding their partners to earn the right to mate.
Male Eastern Rosella, left, feeding the female, right
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2020]
In the region where their habitats overlap, i.e. northern NSW and southern QLD, Eastern Rosellas and Pale-headed Rosellas can interbreed (see above). The hybrids have intermediate colours (the size and colour of the yellow and red patches on their heads and breasts vary).
Pair of Eastern Rosella (bottom) and Pale-headed Rosella
(top) in a White
Cedar tree
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, 2005]
Like most other parrots, Eastern Rosellas love taking a bath...
Eastern Rosella/Pale-headed
Rosella getting into the "shower" (under a garden sprinkler)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]
After a veeeery long soak the result can look like this...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]
Here a direct comparison between the two, showing that he did not
just "fudge" the colours!
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2016]
The photos below show that Eastern Rosellas can become very tame.
This is "Christmas", a female Eastern Rosella who decided, on
Christmas Day 2009, to live with a human - by landing on his
head at 4 am in complete darkness (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, Feburary 2010]
"Christmas" in the bathtub (photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, October 2010]
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Food, Diet |
Like many parrots, Eastern Rosellas feed primarily on seeds and fruit.
Male Eastern Rosella nibbling on grass seeds
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Brunswick Heads, NSW, January 2019]
Eastern Rosella reaching for seeds
[Gunnedah, NSW, August 2011]
This explains why there were hardly any seeds left on the tree...
[Gunnedah, NSW, August 2011]
Female Eastern Rosella taking seeds of an
Acacia salicina
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Male Eastern Rosella nibbling on a prickly seed
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2018]
Eastern Rosellas have also been found to be taking nectar from the flowers of Emubushes and we have seen them nibble on flowers of various types of eucalypt, including e.g. lemon-scented gumtrees.
This Eastern Rosella was observed by us in a
eucalypt infested
with psyllids/lerps
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2021]
Male Eastern Rosella having a drink of water from a bird bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
eastros_20140311.mp3 |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Contact call | © MD | |
eastros_20140313_2.mp3 |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Contact calls | © MD | |
eastros_20140110.mp3 |
elecica (NW NSW) |
(Partial) contact call | © MD | |
eastros_20170520.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Calling mate(?) | © MD | |
eastros_20140313_3.mp3 |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Calling mate(?) | © MD | |
eastros_20220827.mp3 |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Arrival | © MD | |
eastros_20160202.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Warning/departure | © MD | |
eastros_20151016.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Alarm/departure | © MD | |
eastros_20181008.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
? (pair) | © MD | |
eastros_20191014.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
? (pair) | © MD | |
eastros_20191014_2.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
? (pair) | © MD | |
eastros_20191014_3.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
? (pair) | © MD | |
eastros_20200329.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
? (arrival) | © MD | |
eastros_20221105.mp3 |
elecica (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
eastros_20221228.mp3 |
elecica (NW NSW) |
? | © MD | |
eastros_20180304.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Begging calls (juvenile) | © MD | |
eastros_20210205.m4a |
elecica (NW NSW) |
Begging/feeding calls (juvenile) | © MD |
More Eastern Rosella sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.