Night Parrot

The Night Parrot is one of the most elusive and mysterious birds in the world.

First recorded in 1845, the last living specimen was collected in Western Australia in 1912. It then disappeared, with no confirmed records of the bird between 1912 and 1979.

A trickle of fleeting but unconfirmed reports from across its former range and two dead specimens found in Queensland in 1990 and 2006 only added to the bird’s mystique.

In 2013 naturalist and wildlife photographer John Young captured several photos and a few seconds of video footage of a live bird in western Queensland.

After a search spanning many years, John was finally rewarded by an incredibly close-up encounter with a Night Parrot – often considered the ‘holy grail’ for birdwatchers and naturalists.

Global interest in the discovery was so intense that the exact location of this only-known population was kept secret to protect the birds from disturbance.

Habitat is the key to protecting the bird. The fact they’ve persisted in the area suggests that it’s suitable, yet we know there are very real threats.

As a ground dwelling, nocturnal bird they’re ideal prey for feral cats. We also need to implement a fire management plan, as the bird’s preferred spinifex habitat is particularly susceptible to unmanaged wildfire. Without action to intervene and reduce these risks the future of this small population is precarious.

Leading the recovery

A Recovery Team has been established, comprising our own ecologists and some of Australia’s leading scientists. The team is guiding research and the recovery program to save the bird from extinction, including:

• The mapping of its habitat
• Securing the site to ensure minimal human disturbance
• Mitigating wildfire risk
• Implementing feral predator controls, and
• Ongoing ecological monitoring.

Our understanding of the parrot’s biology and ecology is rapidly expanding. A number of scientific and popular science articles have already been published. These are listed on the Night Parrot Recovery Team’s website.

The site also publishes information on looking and listening for Night Parrots including recorded Night Parrot calls.

Night Parrot call

To get a sense of what it’s like listening for the bird in the wild, Reserve Ecologist Nick Leseberg has provided the audio below, recorded at 5.30am out in the spinifex of Pullen Pullen Reserve. There are some calls from other birds (such as Willie Wagtail, Spotted Nightjar and Little Buttonquail) that you’ll hear as well.

Night Parrot behaviour

One of the best things about the rediscovery of this species is that we’re now able to study Night Parrots in their natural habitat.

Adapted to life in the outback, they seem to need little water, hiding in clumps of spinifex by day and emerging after sunset to forage for food.

This most mysterious of birds has only been described a handful of times in recorded history so there’s still much that we don’t know.

With green and gold feathers that blend with its surroundings, the Night Parrot is quintessentially Australian and the chance to save them can be seen as emblematic of something much bigger.

Australia has lost so many native plants and animals since European settlement. With the Night Parrot we have the rarest of circumstances – a second chance to save what we thought was lost forever.

Donate today to help us continue this and other vital conservation work.