12

Green Rosella (Platycercus caledonicus) Alternate name(s): "Tasmanian Rosella", "Yellow-bellied Parakeet", "Green Parrot" Size: 29-37 cm; wing span: 44-54 cm Body mass: 140-165 g (male), 90-133 g (female) Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.24-0.44 (overall)

Australia: Family Group 12 Family Group 12 Table Palm Cockatoo Red-tailed Black-Cockatoo Glossy Black-Cockatoo Yellow-tailed Black-Cockatoo Short-billed Black-Cockatoo Long-billed Black-Cockatoo Gang-gang Cockatoo Long-billed Corella Western Corella Little Corella Cockatiel Sulphur-crested Cockatoo Pink Cockatoo Galah Rainbow Lorikeet Red-collared Lorikeet Scaly-breasted Lorikeet Purple-crowned Lorikeet Varied Lorikeet Musk Lorikeet Little Lorikeet Eclectus Parrot Red-cheeked Parrot Double-eyed Fig-Parrot Australian King-Parrot Red-winged Parrot Princess Parrot Superb Parrot Regent Parrot Green Rosella Crimson Rosella Western Rosella Eastern Rosella Pale-headed Rosella Northern Rosella Red-capped Parrot Australian Ringneck Red-rumped Parrot Mulga Parrot Golden-shouldered Parrot Hooded Parrot Blue Bonnet Bourke's Parrot Budgerigar Swift Parrot Eastern Ground Parrot Night Parrot Blue-winged Parrot Scarlet-chested Parrot Rock Parrot Turquoise Parrot Elegant Parrot Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Thumbnails page Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Green Rosellas are medium-sized parrots. They have a red frons, pale-blue cheeks and an otherwise yellow head and front (chest, belly, vent). The back from the mantle downwards, including the uppertail, is dark-green, with dark-green and black scalloped upperwings that have blue flight feathers. Female Green Rosellas have somewhat duller colours, with more of a green tinge than males, who have more yellow hues in their plumage. The bill is light-grey, the irises are dark and the legs and feet are grey. Juveniles are bottle-green where adults are more yellowish. Twitcher's tip Compared to Yellow Rosellas, Green Rosellas have green-and-black backs, rather than yellow-and-black.

Taxonomy, classification See Green Rosella at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Green Rosella is available HERE . There are two races of Green Rosellas, both of which are endemic to Tasmania and nearby islands in Bass Strait. Nominate race "caledonicus" is found all over Tasmania, plus other, smaller islands. Race "brownii" is found primarily in the southern half of King Island (occasionally also in the northern half). Green Rosellas have a preference for dense forest in high rainfall areas (including mountainous regions, but are also found in farmland with scattered trees and and gardens.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "caledonicus" R. Plumtree reports spotting Green Rosellas, race "caledonicus", at St. Helens, TAS, in January 2007. D. Wilczynska spotted Green Rosellas, race "caledonicus", 25 km North of Launceston, TAS, in March 2015. B. Hensen reports spotting Green Rosellas, race "caledonicus", on Bruny Island, TAS, in March 2016. M. Eaton found a Green Rosella, race "caledonicus", in various locations in Tasmania in April 2021 and again in September 2024.

Photos

Race "caledonicus"

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of Green Rosellas, male at upper left
Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
In Green Rosellas the male has the brighter colours overall and a clean front, while the female has a scalloped front.
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

Lateral view of a pair of Green Rosellas, male at the back (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Pair of Green Rosellas on the ground; male on the left, female on the right (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[St. Helens, Tasmania, January 2007]

MALE

Frontal view of a male Green Rosella; note the bright yellowish hues of its plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulds Lagoon, Hobart, TAS, April 2021]

Near-frontal view of a male Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Near-frontal view of a male Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view of a male Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

Near-lateral view of a male Green Rosellas feeding on the ground (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a male Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a male Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goulds Lagoon, Hobart, TAS, April 2021]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

Frontal view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Close-up near-frontal view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

Near-lateral view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a female Green Rosella (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

Dorsal view of a female Green Rosella feeding on a seed cone (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2021]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral view of a juvenile Green Rosella in a tree; note the green front characterising this bird as juvenile
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Launceston, Tasmania, March 2015]

Lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Green Rosella; note the greener plumage compared to adults'
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]

Dorsal view of a juvenile Green Rosellas in a tree (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Launceston, Tasmania, March 2015]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Pair/family/small flock

Food, Diet

Like many parrots, Green Rosellas are seed-eaters; primarily they feed on grass seeds.

Full-frontal view of a male Green Rosella munching on a seed cone (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Bruny Island, TAS, March 2016]

Lateral view of a Green Rosella feeding on native flowers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2024]

Near-dorsal view of a Green Rosella feeding on native flowers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2024]

Frontal view of a female Green Rosella feeding on native flowers (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[St. Helens, TAS, September 2024]

Lateral view of a juvenile Green Rosella feeding on what looks like grass flowers or unripe seeds
(photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Near Launceston, Tasmania, March 2015]

Male Green Rosella feasting on an apple (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

Female Green Rosella feasting on an apple (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Arthur, TAS, April 2021]

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.

grenros_me_20240923_4.m4a	caledonicus (TAS)	Contact calls?	© ME
grenros_me_20240923.m4a	caledonicus (TAS)	Contact calls? (Q&A)	© ME
grenros_me_20210926.m4a	caledonicus (TAS)	Contact calls? (pair Q&A)	© ME
grenros_me_20240923_3.m4a	caledonicus (TAS)	Warning/departure	© ME
grenros_me_20240923_2.m4a	caledonicus (TAS)	Various	© ME

More Green Rosella sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.