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12

Red-rumped Parrot (Psephotus haematonotus) Alternate name(s): "Grass Parrot", "Red-backed Parrot"; Misnomer: "Ground Parrot" Aboriginal name(s): "nginungu" [tjapwurrung]; "linden" Size: 26-28 cm Weight: 60-65 g

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Similar species

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Red-rumped Parrots are small parrots. Their plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are different. Male Red-rumped Parrots have a blue-green head, greenish yellow chest and sides, yellow belly and white vent. The back is all-green, except the name-giving red rump. The upperwings are also green, except a yellow shoulder patch and some blue leading edge lining. When perched, the red rump is usually hidden under the folded wings. Female Red-rumped Parrots are much more inconspicuous, with a greyish-green head and chest and a greyish belly and vent. The back and wings are also pale-green with turquoise shoulder patches. The tail is turquoise and grey. The bill of both sexes is dark-grey, the irises are grey and the legs and feet are also grey. Juveniles have duller colours than adult females and their bills are yellowish, with some grey on the tip of the upper mandible.

Taxonomy, classification See Red-rumped 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 Red-rumped Parrot is available HERE . Red-rumped Parrots are endemic to Australia. Nominate race "haematonotus" is found in the south-eastern quarter of the Australian continent, basically from the south-eastern corner of SA through VIC and all of NSW and southern QLD (with the exception of a narrow coastal strip, mostly along the South coast and the East coast North of about Sydney, NSW). Race "caeruleus" is present only in the Lake Eyre Basin, in the border area of SA and QLD (e.g. Innamincka NP). Mostly this race, but also race "haematonotus"'s range overlap with the range of the Mulga Parrot. Red-rumped Parrots are usually found in open woodland and open grassland, including paddocks, wherever there are grass seeds to be found. In the breeding season they are often found near River Red Gums or other tall eucalypts with suitable nesting hollows, often in dead trees. Where to look? How to find this species? Red-rumped Parrots are usually most easily found when feeding on grass seeds, e.g. in farmland with scattered trees. Although ground-feeding, they are not particularly shy. They will come close to human habitation for water, food or to roost.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "haematonotus" Red-rumped Parrots, race "haematonotus", are one of the most common parrot species in inland NSW and can be seen in the Narrabri area regularly and in large numbers. Numerous around our place at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, in autumn, when seen in flocks of up to 50 birds, but almost absent in winter, when there are few or no seeds on the paddocks. Also found on the western slopes of the Nandewar Range. While such flocks are common during the autumn/winter period, we first saw such numbers of non-breeders in the spring of 2013, which was so exceptionally dry that many bird species skipped the breeding season. Although apparently so colourful, their camouflage while foraging for seeds in grassland is excellent. While on the ground, the males' red rump is invisible, hidden between the wings, as can be seen in some of the photos below. In trees Red-rumped Parrots can also be hard to spot. J. Greaves reports spotting Red-rumped Parrots, race "haematonotus", in Carrikalinga, SA, in March 2016.

Photos

Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a look here .

Race "haematonotus"

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of an adult male Red-rumped Parrot
[Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, June 2019]

Frontal view of an adult male Red-rumped Parrot (left; dark bill), together with a dorsal view of a juvenile male (right, light bill)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2008]

Slightly different frontal view of a male Red-rumped Parrot - here one can see more clearly the blue frontal edge of both wings (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

Near-frontal portrait of a male Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2013]

Near-frontal view of a male Red-rumped Parrot (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]

Near-frontal view of a male Red-rumped Parrot foraging in grass
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Lateral view of a male Red-rumped Parrot (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of a male Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2015]

Lateral view of a male Red-rumped Parrot foraging in grass
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Lateral view of a male Red-rumped Parrot foraging in grass
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Near-dorsal view of a male Red-rumped Parrot, showing most clearly the red patch on its rump
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a male Red-rumped Parrot hiding in a Grevillea robusta
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2013]

Dorsal view of an adult male Red-rumped Parrot; note the name-giving red rump
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2008]

This male Red-rumped Parrot in flight also displays conspicuously its red rump (photo courtesy of R. Druce)

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Red-rumped Parrot with its head turned sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Near-frontal view of a female Red-rumped Parrot foraging in grass
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

Near-lateral view of a female Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2009]

Lateral view of a female Red-rumped Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Goondiwindi, QLD, March 2018]

Lateral view of a female Red-rumped Parrot
[Tiger Bay, Warren, NSW, April 2017]

Lateral view of a female Red-rumped Parrot feeding
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2013]

Dorsal view of a female Red-rumped Parrot
[Tiger Bay, Warren, NSW, April 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a female Red-rumped Parrot
[Tiger Bay, Warren, NSW, April 2017]

PBFD - psittacine beak and feather disease

A female Red-rumped Parrot was found by us in a very bad state of health suggesting that this species can contract the disease.

Lateral view of a female Red-rumped Parrot that has lost most of the feathers on its head and back
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2018]

Near-dorsal view of a female Red-rumped Parrot that has lost most of the feathers on its head and back
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2018]

PAIR

Close-up near-frontal view of a pair of Red-rumped Parrots having a drink and a bath; male on the left, female on the right
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2009]

Male Red-rumped Parrot in its colourful plumage, right, and well-camouflaged female, left
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]

Pair of Red-rumped Parrots foraging on the ground (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Bowra Station, near Cunnamulla, QLD, September 2017]

3 pairs of Red-rumped Parrots taking a bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2011]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Lateral/ventral view of an immature male Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2011]

Near-frontal view of a probably immature (or moulting) female Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2008]

Frontal view of a juvenile, possibly female Red-rumped Parrot in a casuarina tree
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2012]

Lateral portrait of a juvenile female Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]

Lateral portrait of a juvenile female Red-rumped Parrot
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2020]

Dorsal view of a juvenile male Red-rumped Parrot; note the name-giving red rump
[Eulah Creek, NSW, February 2008]

Three out of a clutch of five Red-rumped Parrot chicks; there is also a photo of all five chicks
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2008]

Mum Red-rumped Parrot has three hungry mouths to feed
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2015]

Neighbours on a roost eye-balling each other: Tawny Frogmouth (right) and Red-rumped Parrot (left)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2013]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Sep - Dec

Eggs: 4 - 7

Incubation period: 18 - 20 days

Fledging age: 28 - 35 days

Pair of Red-rumped Parrots working on the next generation...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2015]

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Tree hollow

Material: Wood dust

Height above ground: 2 - 15 m

Pair of Red-rumped Parrots at the entrance to their nesting hollow
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, October 2011]

Female Red-rumped Parrot just after emerging from inside the nesting hollow
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, October 2011]

Another female Red-rumped Parrot at its nesting hollow; the dead tree is standing in a swamp
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, February 2012]

Red-rumped Parrots inspecting a nesting box provided for, and in the year before also occupied by, Eastern Rosellas
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2013]

Here the female Red-rumped Parrot can be seen working on the opening
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2013]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 24 x 19 mm

Colour: White

Shape: Rounded

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Sedentary/dispersive

Elementary unit: Pair/small flock

As basically all male parrots and cockatoos, male Red-rumped Parrots need to prove their mettle prior to the breeding season. To show that they are good partners - and will feed the female while she is incubating the eggs - male Red-rumped Parrots feed their partners. Her begging calls resemble the calls of chicks begging for food.

Male Red-rumped Parrot, left, feeding its partner as part of a bonding ritual
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Male Red-rumped Parrot feeding its partner as part of a bonding ritual
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2021]

Male Red-rumped Parrot feeding its partner as part of a bonding ritual
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]

Red-rumped Parrots very conspicuously live in pairs and family units during the breeding season. During autmn/winter the pairs still form subunits inside small to medium-size flocks. This fact is prominent, because the males and females are so easy to distinguish. While the photos above show, apart from single birds, pairs and families, here we present a photo of a flock feeding with "safety in numbers". Non-breeders will also flock during the breeding season.

Flock of 40 Red-rumped Parrots feeding on grass seeds along our driveway; note how most birds are in the shady areas
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2013]

Red-rumped Parrots first having a collective drink...
[Killarney SCA, NSW, November 2019]

... and then a collective bath
[Killarney SCA, NSW, November 2019]

Lateral view of a male Red-rumped Parrot having a bath (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roma Bush Gardens, Roma, QLD, August 2022]

Near-lateral view of a sopping wet male Red-rumped Parrot in the bath (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Roma Bush Gardens, Roma, QLD, August 2022]

Red-rumped Parrots are preyed upon by falcons, mostly Australian Hobbies and Peregrine Falcons. There is a separate page describing how various bird species reacted under threat from Australian Hobbies hunting, including a photo showing how a Red-rumped Parrot hid in dense growth.

Food, Diet

Adults: Seeds

Dependents: Regurgitated seeds

Water intake: Daily

Like many parrots, Red-rumped Parrots are seed-eaters; primarily they take grass seeds, but are also found regularly foraging in reeds.

Male Red-rumped Parrot feeding on grass seeds
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Male Red-rumped Parrot feeding on the seeds of weeds
[Bourke, NSW, September 2012]

Birds can find food in all kinds of strange places - here a male Red-rumped Parrot finding seeds on a concrete footpath
[Narrabri Lake, NSW, May 2013]

Male Red-rumped Parrot feeding on lawn (laced with clover)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]

Female Red-rumped Parrot feeding on young shoots (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Narrabri, NSW, June 2021]

Close-up lateral view of a male Red-rumped Parrot taking grit to aid digestion
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2022]

Frontal view of a male Red-rumped Parrot drinking water
[O'Brien's Creek, Narrabri Lake, NSW, November 2011]

Lateral view of a male Red-rumped Parrot drinking water from a bird bath
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2007]

On a 45 C "stinker" of a day, these Red-rumped Parrots were not only having a drink, but also used the moisture picked up by the hot wind blowing over the ornamental pond as evaporative cooling
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 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.

redrump_20200219.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Contact calls?	© MD
redrump_20170706_1.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Contact calls? (Q&A)	© MD
redrump_20141026.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Group passing over	© MD
redrump_20180516.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Pair arriving	© MD
redrump_20140130.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Group arriving	© MD
redrump_20140224.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Flock arriving	© MD
redrump_20140120.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	In-flight	© MD
redrump_20140108_2.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	In-flight	© MD
redrump_20140109.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Alarm/departure	© MD
redrump_20170912_2.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Warning/departure	© MD
redrump_20190725.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Warning/departure	© MD
redrump_20140117.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Warning calls (Nankeen Kestrel)	© MD
redrump_20150909_4.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Begging calls & answers	© MD
redrump_20170706.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Various	© MD
redrump_20141018_2.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Various	© MD

We have also recorded the wing beat of a Red-rumped Parrot.

redrump_20140723.mp3	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Undulating flight	© MD
redrump_20170912.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Arrival	© MD
redrump_20210112.m4a	haematonotus (NW NSW)	Departure	© MD

More Red-rumped 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.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Sun, 28 May 2023, 8:29 +00:00