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Swift Parrot
(Lathamus discolor)
: "Red-shouldered Parrot", "Swift-flying Parakeet", "Swift-flying Lorikeet"
Size: 23-26 cm
Weight: 45-75 g
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Physical description |
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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 salmon-coloured undertail coverts, whereas those of
females
are red.
The irises of both sexes are orange; the legs and feet are grey.
Juvenile
Swift Parrots resemble females, but with
dark irises.
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Swift
Parrot at Wikipedia .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed based
on sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
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The global distribution of the Swift Parrot is available
HERE
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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.
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Sightings |
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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.
Are you interested in recent Swift Parrot sightings? Please
check out the "birdlines" for
NSW
, VIC
and/or TAS
.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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Adult male(?) Swift Parrot feeding on the nectar of a Swamp Mahogany tree
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
Adult male Swift Parrot, slightly different posture
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
With some Swift Parrot acrobatics one can approach the same
flowers this way...
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
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FEMALE |
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Near-frontal view of an adult female(?) Swift Parrot
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
Seen from above, even adult Swift Parrots - although so colourful -
can appear almost entirely green
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
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This Swift Parrot, with very little red in its face, is a juvenile bird
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
The same Swift Parrot as shown above, now reaching for a twig with
a half-eaten leaf, possibly to pick lerps from the underside
of the leaf
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
Juvenile Swift Parrot climbing to the tip of a twig
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
Social behaviour: Communal |
Mobility: Dispersive |
Elementary unit: Flock |
Often seen together with various types of lorikeets.
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Food, Diet |
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Apart from nectar, Swift Parrots also feed on lerps.
Swift Parrot licking nectar; it appears that this young
bird does quite know yet which flowers/buds contain nectar
and which don't...
[Chain Valley Bay South, NSW, June 2011]
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Call(s)/Song |
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For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own; are welcome.
More Swift Parrot sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
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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.