Observations - Orange-bellied Parrot

Observations of the Orange-bellied Parrot near Tower Hill in south-west Victoria.

The Orange-bellied Parrot is extremely hard to find with only about 20-30 birds remaining in the wild. During autumn Orange-belled Parrots migrate from breeding areas in Tasmania to overwinter on mainland Australia. Bob McPherson has managed to locate and film these birds in the wild using high powered telephoto lenses (which explains why the video clip is slightly blurred). His efforts to search and capture these images provides us with an insight into the beauty of this Critically Endangered species.

Male Orange-bellied Parrot with distinctive orange belly and blue frontal band between eyes. Image: courtesy Bob McPherson.

Above and below. Orange-bellied Parrots landing and taking off displaying rich blue colours in the wings.Image: courtesy Bob McPherson.

Orange-bellied Parrots resting on a farm fence. Image: courtesy Bob McPherson

Orange-bellied Parrots feeding on salt marsh vegetation near Tower Hill, Warrnambool during 2016 mainland overwintering. Footage courtesy Bob McPherson.

Orange-bellied Parrot species profile