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Hooded Parrot (Psephotus dissimilis) Alternate name(s): "Black-hooded Parakeet", "Anthill Parrot" Size: 25-27 cm Body mass: 50-60 g

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 Hooded Parrots are small parrots. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Hooded Parrots have a black hood down to the base of the bill. The cheeks and front (throat, chest, belly) are turquoise. The vent is scalloped red and grey. The nape of the neck, mantle and upperwing coverts are steel-grey; the back is blue, the rump turquoise. The upperwing is grey, with some turquoise feathers on the sides. The wings have conspicuous yellow shoulder patches; the flight feathers are black. The bill is dark-grey. Female Hooded Parrots have light-blue cheeks, a greyish-green cap and a light-green neck and upper chest. The front (lower chest and belly) is dull-blue, the vent is scalloped red and grey. The back is mottled grey and green; the bill is grey. The irises of both sexes are dark; the legs and feet are grey. Juveniles resemble females, but with duller colours and a horn-coloured bill.

Taxonomy, classification See Hooded Parrot 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 Hooded Parrot is available HERE . Hooded Parrots are endemic to Australia. They have a restricted range, which comprises only parts of the Top End of the NT, extending from northern Arnhemland to the area around Katherine and Pine Creek. Hooded Parrots have a preference for savannah woodland (with interspersed open areas of - often dry - grassland) with termite mounds.

Sightings Click here for sighting information B. Hensen reports spotting Hooded Parrots in the township of Pine Creek, NT, in July 2014. We ourselves and various contributors have found the species at the same location, with a maximum of 30 Hooded Parrots found at once, regularly since August 2014. P. Brown found them at the same location in November 2018, while M. Eaton followed in July 2020.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral/dorsal view of a pair of Hooded Parrots; male on the left, female on the right (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

MALE

Frontal view of a male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Close-up frontal view of a male Hooded Parrot looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Close-up near-frontal view of a male Hooded Parrot looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Close-up lateral view of a male Hooded Parrot taking grass seeds (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

Lateral view of a male Hooded Parrot on a high perch (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a male Hooded Parrot looking back over its shoulder (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2020]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Pine Creek, NT, November 2019]

Dorsal view of a male Hooded Parrot shaking out its plumage
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

FEMALE

Full-frontal/ventral view of a very pale female Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Pine Creek, NT, November 2018]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a female Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2020]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Pine Creek, NT, March 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a female Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Lateral view of a female Hooded Parrot
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Dorsal view of a female Hooded Parrot looking sideways
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Close-up lateral view of an immature male Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Near-lateral view of an immature male Hooded Parrot moulting into adult plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2020]

Lateral view of an immature male Hooded Parrot moulting into adult plumage, left, with a female on the right
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

Lateral view of an immature male Hooded Parrot moulting into adult plumage
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Lateral/ventral view of an immature male Hooded Parrot moulting into adult plumage (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2020]

Near-dorsal view of an immature male Hooded Parrot moulting into adult plumage (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

Family of Hooded Parrots on the ground - female in front, male at centre, juveniles behind (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Hooded Parrot looking at the observer; note the horn-coloured bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Hooded Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Hooded Parrot foraging in recently burnt dry grassland
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a juvenile Hooded Parrot looking at the observer (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Pine Creek, NT, June 2023]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Pair/family/small flock

Hooded Parrots form mobs but don't socialize with other parrot species.

The Hooded Parrot is one of only two remaining extant species that are known to nest in termite mounds. The other is the Golden-shouldered Parrot in northern QLD. The former third species, the Paradise Parrot, is presumed extinct.

We have observed three Hooded Parrots busying themselves around a termite mound, but could not find a nesting hollow
[Pine Creek, NT, August 2014]

Food, Diet

Hooded Parrots are primarily seed-eaters.

Close-up near-dorsal view of a female Hooded Parrot feeding on grass seeds (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Pine Creek, NT, March 2021]

Hooded Parrots feeding on grass seeds - male at the centre, female in front and juvenile at the back
(photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

Two immature Hooded Parrots moulting into adult plumage drinking from a waterhole; male on the right, female on the left (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Pine Creek, NT, July 2014]

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.

hoodpar_20140818_2.m4a	(Pine Creek, NT)	Contact call? (female)	© MD
hoodpar_20140818.m4a	(Pine Creek, NT)	Contact calls? (females)	© MD
hoodpar_pb_20210320.m4a	(Pine Creek, NT)	Various	© PB

More Hooded Parrot 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.