Blue-winged parrot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blue-winged parrot |
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| In Tasmania | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Neophema
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| Species: |
chrysostoma
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The blue-winged parrot (Neophema chrysostoma) is a small, colorful parrot. You can find it in Tasmania and the southeast part of mainland Australia. These parrots are partly migratory, meaning some of them travel to Tasmania for the summer.
Males and females look a bit different. Males have more blue on their wings and a special two-toned blue band on their head. Females are a bit duller, with more green on their wings. Both sexes are mostly olive-green. Blue-winged parrots usually eat seeds from grasses on the ground. They also do well when kept as pets.
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About Its Name
The blue-winged parrot was first described in 1820 by a German scientist named Heinrich Kuhl. He gave it the scientific name Psittacus chrysostomus. The name chrysostomus comes from two Ancient Greek words: khrysos, meaning "golden," and stoma, meaning "mouth." This refers to the yellow skin around the parrot's eyes.
People used to call this bird the blue-banded parakeet. This name came from the blue band on its forehead. However, other parrots in the same group also have blue bands. In Tasmania, it was sometimes called the Hobart ground parrot because it spends a lot of time on the ground. Today, its official name is the blue-winged parrot.
The blue-winged parrot is one of six types of grass parrots in the Neophema group. It is closely related to the elegant parrot.
What Does It Look Like?
Blue-winged parrots are about 20 to 24 centimeters (8 to 9.5 inches) long. They weigh around 55 grams (about 2 ounces). Males and females look a little different, which is called being sexually dimorphic. Both sexes are mostly olive-green.
Male and Female Differences
- Adult males have a two-toned blue band across their face. This band is ultramarine blue on top and lighter turquoise blue below. Their crown (top of the head) is yellowish. Their throat and chest are pale green, and their belly is yellow. Their wing feathers are deep blue. The tail is blue-grey. Their beak is blue-grey, and their eyes are brown.
- Adult females are not as brightly colored. Their underparts are dull olive, and they have less blue on their wings. Their blue face band is also not as clear.
- Young parrots are dull olive-green. Their wings are slate-blue, and they do not have a blue band on their face yet.
The blue-winged parrot has more blue on its wings than the elegant parrot or the orange-bellied parrot. This helps tell them apart.
Where Do They Live?
The blue-winged parrot lives in southeastern Australia. You can find them in eastern South Australia, all across Victoria, and sometimes in central and western New South Wales. They can even be seen as far north as Diamantina National Park in Queensland.
They like to live in open areas. This includes savannah woodlands, grasslands, farms, marshes, and sand dunes. They can live in places up to 1,200 meters (about 3,900 feet) above sea level.
Amazing Migrations
This parrot is one of only three types of parrots that regularly fly over the sea. Many blue-winged parrots fly between Tasmania and the mainland every year. They breed in Tasmania during spring and summer. Then, they fly to the mainland for the winter. However, some birds stay in Tasmania for the winter, and some stay on the mainland to breed in the summer.
They are also spring visitors to King Island, which is in the Bass Strait.
What Do They Eat?
Blue-winged parrots mostly eat seeds from grasses. They usually feed on the ground. Some of the seeds they eat include wallaby grass, silver hairgrass, and pale sundew. On the mainland, they eat seeds from Poa caespitosa and a plant called capeweed.
They have been seen eating alongside European goldfinches in Victoria. During the breeding season, they might be seen in pairs. But just before they migrate in autumn, flocks can grow very large, sometimes up to 2,000 birds!
How Do They Breed?
Blue-winged parrots breed from September to January. They usually try to have one or two groups of babies each season.
Nesting and Eggs
They make their nests in hollows inside trees. These can be living or dead trees, often eucalypts. Their nests are usually up to 20 meters (about 65 feet) above the ground.
A female parrot lays four to six eggs. The eggs are round or oval, glossy white, and usually about 22 mm long by 19 mm wide. The mother bird sits on the eggs for about 20 days to keep them warm. After the babies hatch, they stay in the nest for another 35 days before they are ready to fly.
In Captivity
Blue-winged parrots can be kept as pets. They adapt well to living in aviaries, which are large cages for birds. They can live together in a shared aviary that is about 3 meters (10 feet) long. They have even been crossbred with elegant and turquoise parrots.
See also
In Spanish: Periquito crisóstomo para niños
