Psittaculidae
Eastern Rosella
Platycercus eximius
Painted Warden of the Fence-line
- Length
- 30 cm
- Wingspan
- 44 cm
- Family
- Psittaculidae
Identification
A rosella of scarlet head and breast, a clean white cheek, yellow-green underparts, and a back finely scalloped in black and yellow-green. The shoulder is blue. In flight the long tail and flickering colour are enough.
Distinctive marks
- Scarlet head and white cheek
- Yellow-green belly
- Black-scalloped back
- Blue shoulder
- Long, graduated tail
Behaviour & ecology
Usually in pairs or small family parties, feeding quietly on the ground or in fruiting trees. Shyer than lorikeets. They nest in tree hollows and will use a well-placed box if the entrance is honest and the cat is not.
Voice
A high, bell-like 'kwink-kwink' and a soft chattering while feeding.
On the Peninsula
Woodland edges, orchards, and older suburbs of the Peninsula with remnant hollow-bearing trees.
Season
Year-round. Most visible in autumn when they work seed on the ground.
Diet
Seeds, fruit, blossoms, and insects taken from foliage.
Conservation
Secure, though hollow loss is a slow pressure.
Lore & resonance
A rosella on a paling fence looks hand-coloured by someone who refused to choose a single pigment. The white cheek is the signature — a small moon on a red field.
If you would attract them
Leave seed-heads standing. A hollow or nest box facing away from weather, and a cat-free hour at dawn, will do more than any feeder.
