Eastern Ground Parrot

## Background Information

### Alternate Name(s)

Ground parrot, Buttongrass parrot, Grass parrot, Madden's prairie parrot, Swamp parrot, Green quail

## Classification

### Species

P. wallicus

The eastern ground parrot ***(Pezoporus wallicus)*** is a species of parrot native to Australia. It is a close relative of the nocturnal night parrot ***(Pezoporus occidentalis)*** and western ground parrot ***(Pezoporus flaviventris)***. The eastern ground parrot's feathers are lime green in colour, accented by black and yellow spots and barring as well as ashy primary flight feathers and underwings. The species looks almost identical to the night parrot however, the two are visually separated by the red band of feathers above the eastern ground parrots' nares. When young, an eastern ground parrot's plumage is much more muted, appearing a more sour green shade and lacking the red band above the nares. On the flight feathers also exists an off white band that becomes more opaque with age. The eastern ground parrot can reach up to 30cm (11.8in) and can weigh approximately 80g (2.8oz).

## Diet

Eastern ground parrots are herbivorous birds that eat a variety of plant materials. They enjoy flowering plants as well as seeding plants, particularly reed-grasses and hedges. Whilst feeding, the ground parrot will stand on low hanging stems to bring them to the ground and pick the seeds off the seed heads. They have also been observed eating fruiting flowers. Unlike some other eastern Australian parrot species, such as lorikeets ***(Psittaciformes)***, eastern ground parrots will use only their beaks for feeding. Though they are almost exclusive ground foragers, ground parrots will occasionally scale small shrubs, scrubs and bushes in search of edible hedges and seeds. They will happily take seeds from the ground or from the plants themselves. It is believed that ground parrots have a preference for feeding in man-made environments, such as agricultural areas such as fowl yards and corn fields. This is likely due to the ground parrot's dependence on flattened areas, like marshes. Unlike the night parrot, eastern ground parrots are a diurnal species that feed exclusively at daytime.

## Conservation Status

Eastern ground parrots are considered to be a least concern species by the IUCN however, they still face threats in the wild. Most notably, ground parrots face the threat of seasonal fires, which decimate habitats and ruin land. Despite this, the ground parrot has also been shown to be quite resilient in the face of bushfires, with some studies even suggesting that the species depends on seasonal fires to germinate new food sources and rejuvenate land. For example, a study conducted in Yuragir National Park found that the parrot populations in two separate areas were found to be existing in previously severely fire-damaged land in numbers similar to prior the fires. Another example of the eastern ground parrot's potential dependence on fires is the regional extinction of the Otway Ranges subpopulation (in southern Victoria), which died-out after a lack of fires, which allowed long grasses to grow. Outside of natural disasters, the eastern ground parrot is majorly threatened by invasive predators such as feral cats ***(Felis catus)***, domestic dogs ***(Canis lupus familiaris)*** and red foxes ***(Vulpes vulpes)***, which predate the ground-nesting eastern ground parrots. Luckily, the parrot subpopulations seem to be mostly intact throughout protected areas however, one subpopulation in southeast Queensland seems to be facing genetic unviability as a result of high hatchling mortality. This same population is also effected greatly by the transition of heathland environments into more weed-dominated rangelands. Diseases are also a possible threat to the ground parrot population, particularly, Psittacine Circoviral Disease and Dieback Disease which cause internal problems within parrot species and degrade the environment through the infection of pathogenic fungi respectively. Unlike the western ground parrot, no conservation actions have been set in place for this species.

## Range and Population

Eastern ground parrots inhabit both the east and west coasts of Australia, occurring in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania. They inhabit semi-arid coastal grassland and heath environments, as well as wetlands, swamps and marshes, typically close to the coast also. A characteristic of eastern ground parrot habitat is also an intrinsic lack of tress. This attribute allows ground parrots to inhabit farmland environments and remain plentiful after fires. As an enigmatic species the exact population of the eastern ground parrot has been disputed. The IUCN places the species' population at <500,000 mature individuals, whereas the Australian Government Species Profile and Threats Database places the species at around 4,000 mature individuals. The database has said however, that these numbers may be unreliable. The population was also estimated to be at 5,700 mature individuals in the 80s and 90s. The population is stable, though may be experiencing a decline based on documented data.

## Behaviour

As ground-nesting birds, ground parrots excavate small cavities in the ground to act as nests. These nests reach 15-18cm (5.9-7in) in width and reach up to 5cm (1.9in) in depth and are typically created in areas of shielding vegetation. When startled, ground parrots will fly near to the ground before landing once more in dense vegetation. The breeding season is undecided, likely spanning either from September to January or September to November and occasionally December and possibly March. The ambiguity of the breeding season is attributed to subpopulation variation. To elaborate, the breeding season increasing in length in areas of increased latitude according to the Australian Government. For example, subpopulations in the Victorian Alps may lay up to three months later than subpopulations in less mountainous areas, such as Queensland. Proceeding breeding season, usually 3-4 eggs are laid, which are white in colour and ovular in shape. The clutch is laid separately over the course of a few days. If first breeding attempt fails, ground parrots are inclined to produce a second clutch. The male will supply the brooding female and her young with food. The fledging period of the eastern ground parrot ranges between 18-28 days, averaging 23-25 days. Following this period, the young will leave the nest however, will remain close for up to three weeks, hiding among the spinifex, still unable to fly. At this point, the juveniles sport a down grey camouflage to aid in hiding from predators. Though the ground parrot is mostly sited as a non-migratory/sedentary species, fluctuations in population density among subpopulation has been recorded and can likely be traced to dispersal of subadult parrots, likely as a means of escaping fire affected areas, as they have been found far from breeding grounds, eliminating the possibility of breeding migrations. Adult parrots are much less inclined to move, remaining with their partners in the same area for up to three years.

### Relationship with Humans

Increase of human infrastructure has degraded the ground parrot population over time, with vehicle-related casualties becoming apparent, yet uncommon. Ground parrots are also known to collide with architecture, running into windows and fences leading to injury or death. Overall this has also led to increased human-wildlife interaction. Eastern ground parrots were also formerly hunted for sport, with quail shooters in particular killing the birds previously. This led to the ground parrot becoming well known in the community as 'green quails'.

## In Captivity

No eastern ground parrots currently reside in captivity.

## Sources

* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22685226/218953796
* Eastern Ground Parrot | Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern\_ground\_parrot
* Pezoporus wallicus wallicus -- Mainland Ground Parrot (eastern) | Australian Government Species Profile and Threats Database - http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon\_id=67047