Parakeet
| Parakeet | ||||||||||
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Pezoporus wallicus |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Pezoporus wallicus | ||||||||||
| ( Kerr , 1792) |
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The parakeet ( Pezoporus wallicus ) is a rare species of parrot from the genus of the parakeet ( Pezoporus ).
features
The parakeet reaches a size of 30 centimeters, 17 centimeters of which take up the tail feathers. The plumage is mainly yellowish-green, with each feather showing yellow and black stripes. The males have strong red feathers on the forehead, the females have only a few red feathers on the forehead. In addition, the black stripes are not as pronounced. The iris is dark yellow and the feet brownish-gray. The young birds look very similar to the adults, but they lack the red feathers on their foreheads.
Distribution area
The parakeet inhabits the coastal areas and adjacent heathland in the south-west and south-east of Australia and Tasmania, where it occurs up to an altitude of 1,300 m. This species has also been observed at river mouths in the plains and marshy grasslands. The parakeets prefer low vegetation with few bushes. In Queensland , the parakeets not only inhabit heaths and arid areas, but also moorland ( wallum ).
Way of life
The parakeet is crepuscular and nocturnal, it flies quickly and glides low over the ground. With their long legs, the parakeets are very fast runners. If you move on the ground, your fast run is repeatedly interrupted by a break. He spends most of his life on earth looking for all kinds of grasses and heather plants to eat the seeds of. He prefers to eat the seeds of the acacia ( Acacia ) and the Mesomelaena spaerocephala . It only occurs in small populations, which is why the species has been placed under strict protection.
Its call consists of 3 or 4 high, bell-like tones. They sound like "tii-tii-stit" or "tii-tii-tii-stit". After this call one can sometimes hear several shrill sounds. Before the call is completely over, the parakeets utter a long tone.
Reproductive behavior
The breeding season of the parakeet is between September and December. It builds its nest on the ground or near the ground, the clutch consists of three to four eggs that are incubated for about three weeks. During the rearing of the young, the parents land on the ground a few meters in front of the nest and then run to their young on “secret paths” or through tunnels that they have stepped in the grass.
particularities
The earth parakeet, along with the kakapo and the night parakeet, is the parrot that is best adapted to life on the ground. You don't sit on twigs or branches either, because your feet are adapted to life on the ground. The toes on the feet are also not as curved as usual in parrots.
Subspecies
- Pezoporus wallicus wallicus
- Pezoporus wallicus flaviventris North , 1911
Danger
Since this species of parakeet spends most of its time on the ground, it is threatened by grass and bush fires in dry seasons. After such disasters, the animals have to move to other areas. But they often return to the burned-down areas after a few years and settle there again.
swell
- Werner Lantermann (1999): Parrot Studies: Biology, Ecology, Species Protection, Behavior, Keeping, Species Selection of Parakeets and Parrots , Verlag Parey, ISBN 3-8263-3174-5
Individual evidence
- ^ Joseph M. Forshaw: Parrots of the World. Princeton University Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0691142852 , p. 136.
Web links
- Pezoporus wallicus inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . Listed by: BirdLife International, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
- Videos, photos and sound recordings for Ground Parrot (Pezoporus wallicus) - HBW 4, p. 384 in the Internet Bird Collection
- Lexicon of Parrots
- www.parrots.org - Ground Parrot
