Superb Parrots (Polytelis swainsonii) congregate in small groups throughout the year and forage for seeds and eucalypt blossoms.
Superb parrot’s main diet consists of fruits, leaves, and buds. Occasionally, they visit farms to feed on wheat and oats. In the morning, the parrots spend most of their time feeding and resting in the branches of nearby trees after drinking early.
They fly back to a set roost in the late afternoon after more feeding. Nesting parties include immatures, but these often break up once adult males begin hunting for food together for their broods.
The Superb Parrot male displays a lively courtship display. Short flights around the female are sometimes made, accompanied by bows as he lands. When he gets to his perch, he stretches out his feathers, tightly ties in the rest, spreads part of his wings, and chatters incessantly while rushing from side to side.
Females crouch low, puff up their head feathers, spread their wings, and make soft begging sounds. After that, the male feeds her. Males also feed their partners when they are incubating and during the first week of hatching. Afterward, he feeds the young. Green Leeks or Barraband Parakeets and Barraband’s Parrot are also names of this parrot.
There are about 400 millimeters of length in the tail of the Superb Parrot, including the long tapering tail. There is a brilliant green color to the male Superb Parrot’s general plumage. Yellow patches on the forehead, throat, and cheeks; scarlet crescent across the throat. A green underwing covert; a dull blue bend of wing and outer webs of primaries are black underneath. A green tail is visible above, and a black tail is visible below. The eyes are yellow-orange in color. The bill and cere are coral, and the feet are dark gray.
Female Superb Parrots have dull green heads and bodies. There are pale blue-green spots on the face, pinkish-green spots on the throat, and orange-red spots on the thighs. Tail feathers are rose pink along the edges and undersides. There is a yellow hue to the eyes, along with a yellow bill and a yellow foot. A parrot with immature feathers is an adult female. There is a brown color to the eyes. It takes males approximately 6 to 9 months to acquire adult plumage. White-downed downy young have dull bills but are white-downed.
The superb parrot’s contact call is a piercing, long warble, commonly emitted in flight. Soft twittering can also be heard when the bird is resting. September-December is the month when nests and baby birds are born. Hollow limbs or holes in trees are used as nests, and they are placed at a significant height. It lays four to six white eggs with rounded shapes that are 29-30 x 23-24 mm in size. Approximately 20 days are needed for incubation in females. It takes five to six weeks for the young to fledge.
The Terrific Parrot is primarily found along the western watershed of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales, and also along the eastern edge of Hay Plains, along the Murray-Murrumbidgee River to Canberra and Gunnedah, and along the Barwon catchment to the north. Breeding occurs in the Murrumbidgee-Lachlan system in autumn-winter when it ranges north to the Barwon catchment.
Read More: Regent Parrot – The Gleaming Gold Bird