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Swift Parrot (Lathamus discolor) Alternate name(s): "Red-shouldered Parrot", "Swift-flying Parakeet", "Swift-flying Lorikeet" Size: 23-26 cm; wing span: 32-36 cm Body mass: 45-75 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.36-0.42

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

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

Physical description Click here for a physical description Swift Parrots are relatively small parrots. They are primarily green (front: chest, belly, vent; back: back of the head, mantle, upperwings, rump, uppertail coverts). The face (frons, throat) is bright-red, with a yellow gape; the cap is blue, while the cheeks are turquoise-blue. The shoulders have some yellow and red patches; the wings have a blue leading edge and dark-grey flight feathers. The undertail coverts are reddish, the tail is brownish. In-flight, the underwings show a prominent red bar, a turquoise shoulder patch and brownish-grey flight feathers. The bill is the colour of skin. Female Swift Parrots have duller colours than males, in particular they have less red on the face. In addition, males have solid-red undertail coverts, whereas those of females are salmon-coloured and scalloped. The irises of both sexes are orange; the legs and feet are grey. Juvenile Swift Parrots resemble females, but with dark irises.

Taxonomy, classification See Swift 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 Swift Parrot is available HERE . Swift Parrots are endemic to Australia. They breed only in central Tasmania, while outside their breeding season they will disperse all over Tasmania and to the south-eastern Australian mainland. There they are usually found in most of VIC and the southern-most part of inland NSW. However, they do migrate further North, along the NSW coastline and the Great Dividing Range, up to about the Brisbane, QLD, area. Their movements northward on the Australian continent are not well-known. Swift Parrots are usually found in relatively dry, open forest, but they enter urban environments, such as parks, as well. When in flower, they have a preference for Swamp Mahogany.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Swift Parrots have been spotted by us at various locations along the NSW Central Coast in June 2011. Because of flowering Swamp Mahogany trees there at the time, Chain Valley Bay was one of the birds' favourite spots; the photos presented below were all obtained there. A. Morris's help with these observations is greatly appreciated. A. Allnutt reports spotting Swift Parrots in Watson, ACT, in September 2018. M. Eaton found Swift Parrots at Dover, TAS, in September 2021. M. Fleming reports finding about 4 Swift Parrots in the southern Pilliga scrub, 30 km N of Coonabarabran, NSW, in July 2022. We subsequently found a mob of at least 25 Swift Parrots at the same location. C. Pears reports spotting a Swift Parrot at Adventure Bay, Bruny Island, TAS, in January 2023. Are you interested in recent Swift Parrot sightings? Please check out the "birdlines" for NSW , VIC and/or TAS .

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Note the male's undertail coverts, left, are solid-red, whereas the female's are salmon-pink and scalloped.

MALE

Near-lateral view of a male(?) Swift Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a male Swift Parrot
[30 km N of Coonabarabran, NSW, August 2022]

Lateral view of a male Swift Parrot
[30 km N of Coonabarabran, NSW, August 2022]

Lateral view of a male Swift Parrot - note the scarlet undertail coverts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a male Swift Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Swift Parrot - note the salmon-pink undertail coverts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Near-lateral view of a female Swift Parrot
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]

Lateral view of a female Swift Parrot - note the salmon-pink undertail coverts (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a female Swift Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a female Swift Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a female(?) Swift Parrot
[30 km N of Coonabarabran, NSW, July 2022]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Swift Parrot (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Frontal view of a Swift Parrot hanging from a branch (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Juvenile Swift Parrot reaching for a twig with a half-eaten leaf, possibly to pick lerps off the underside of the leaf
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]

Ventral view of a juvenile Swift Parrot climbing to the tip of a twig
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Communal

Mobility: Migratory/dispersive

Elementary unit: Flock

Swift Parrots are often seen together with various types of lorikeets.

Food, Diet

Apart from nectar, Swift Parrots also feed on lerps.

Lateral view of a male Swift Parrot feeding on the nectar of Swamp Mahogany
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]

Swift Parrot feeding on nectar (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Swift Parrot feeding on nectar (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Dover, TAS, September 2021]

Lateral view of a Swift Parrot licking nectar; it appears that this is a young bird that does not quite know yet which flowers/buds do, and don't, contain nectar
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]

Partly obscured near-frontal view of a male Swift Parrot checking the underside of eucalypt leaves in search of lerps
[30 km N of Coonabarabran, NSW, August 2022]

Female(?) Swift Parrot feeding on lerps
[30 km N of Coonabarabran, NSW, July 2022]

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.

swiftp_me_20210919.m4a	(S TAS)	Contact calls	© ME
swiftp_me_20210919_2.m4a	(S TAS)	Contact & feeding calls (flock)	© ME
swiftp_20220722.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning/departure(?)	© MD
swiftp_20220722_3.m4a	(NW NSW)	Warning/departure(?)	© MD
swiftp_aa_20180925.m4a	(ACT)	Various (flock)	© AA
musklor_20220722_3.mp3	(NW NSW)	Various (+ mob of Musk Lorikeets)	© MD

More Swift 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.