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The regent parrot or rock pebbler (''Polytelis anthopeplus'') is a bird found in southern Australia. It has predominantly yellow plumage with a green tail. The bird is found primarily in
eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of Flowering plant, flowering trees, shrubs or Mallee (habit), mallees in the Myrtaceae, myrtle Family (biology), family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the Tribe (biology) ...
groves and other wooded areas of subtropical southwestern Australia, as well as in a smaller area of subtropical and temperate southeastern Australia. Seeds make up the bulk of its diet.


Taxonomy

A species of
Psittaculidae Psittaculidae is a family containing Old World parrots. It consists of five subfamilies: Agapornithinae, Loriinae, Platycercinae Platycercinae is a subfamily of birds belonging to the family Psittaculidae that inhabit Oceania. It consists of ...
, allied to the tribe Polytelini, a sister taxon to ''
Polytelis swainsonii The superb parrot (''Polytelis swainsonii''), also known as Barraband's parrot, Barraband's parakeet, or green leek parrot, is a parrot native to south-eastern Australia. It is a dimorphic species and one of three species in the genus ''Polyt ...
'', the superb parrot, and '' P. alexandrae'', the princess parrot. The epithet ''anthopeplus'' is derived from ancient Greek, a compound of ''anthos'', flower, and ''peplos'', robe. A 2017 molecular study placed the regent parrot as an early offshoot to the genus '' Aprosmictus'' and not as closely related to the other two species. There are two populations, morphologically similar though isolated, within the species distribution range of Southern Australia. These are described as subspecies: *''
Polytelis anthopeplus anthopeplus The genus ''Polytelis'' (literally translates into 'magnificent') of the family Psittaculidae consists of three species long-tailed parrot endemic to Australia. Traditionally, it was included in the Australian broad-tailed parrots (tribe Platyc ...
'', Southwest Australia *'' Polytelis anthopeplus monarchoides'' Schodde, 1993. Southeast Australia The regent parrot was first depicted by English author and artist
Edward Lear Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised. His principal a ...
in 1831. Lear included two images in ''
Illustrations of the family of Psittacidae, or parrots ''Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots'' is an 1832 book containing 42 hand-coloured lithographs by Edward Lear. He produced 175 copies for sale to subscribers as a part-publication, which were later bound as a book. Lear sta ...
'', an early folio of lithographs with brief captions. The first plate reproduced a female specimen, given the title ''Palæornis anthopeplus'' (1831), the second was a male, ''Palæornis melanura'' (pt. 12, 1832), drawn by Lear in England. The regional origin of the parrots, presented as two species, is not supplied in the work, so the type specimen or locality for each was not formally nominated and assumed to be lost. A 1912 review by
G. M. Mathews Gregory Macalister Mathews CBE FRSE FZS FLS (10 September 1876 – 27 March 1949) was an Australian-born amateur ornithologist who spent most of his later life in England. Life He was born in Biamble in New South Wales the son of Robert H. ...
stated the source of the specimens was New South Wales, and occurred in a range that excluded the Southwest of the country. When correcting this omission, Mathews proposed the taxa named ''anthopeplus'' and ''melanura'' in Lear's folio was only found in the east and that the southwest population was a new taxon, nominated ''westralis''. The arrangement and typification of the geographically separate groups was largely ignored by authors, until
Richard Schodde Richard Schodde, OAM (born 23 September 1936) is an Australian botanist and ornithologist. Schodde studied at the University of Adelaide, where he received a BSc (Hons) in 1960 and a PhD in 1970. During the 1960s he was a botanist with the CSI ...
published a conclusion that the origin of both Lear's specimens were from a Western Australian population, based on differences in colouration of the female plumage which he observed in the plates. Further evidence was provided by examining any possible collection and transport of the species to England, living or skinned, a possible holotype held at the Liverpool Museum, and comparison other collected data. Subsequently, the nominate subspecies of the West became ''P. a. anthopeplus'' and the eastern isolate was given a
neotype In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...
and assigned to subspecies ''P. anthopeplus monarchoides''. "Regent parrot" has been designated the official name by the
International Ornithologists' Union The International Ornithologists' Union, formerly known as the International Ornithological Committee, is a group of about 200 international ornithologists, and is responsible for the International Ornithological Congress and other international ...
(IOC). The species is also known variously as the rock pebbler, rock peplar, Murray smoker, Marlock parakeet, yellow king-parrot and regent parakeet. Lear's illustrations are captioned with Blossom-feathered Parrakeet to ''Palæornis anthopeplus'' and Black-tailed Parrakeet to ''P. melanura''. The indigenous names for the southwest subspecies in the
Nyungar language Noongar (; also Nyungar ) is an Australian Aboriginal language or dialect continuum, spoken by some members of the Noongar community and others. It is taught actively in Australia, including at schools, universities and through public broadcastin ...
, noted by Dom Serventy, include ''Waukanga'' and ''Wouk-un-ga'', and ''Walkinger'' recorded at Avon River. A recommended orthography and pronunciation list of the region's bird names has proposed the adoption of common names ''yalop'' aw’lawpand ''wookonga'' oo’kawng’afor this subspecies.


Description

A yellowish-green parrot, long and slender, with similar patterning exhibited by the sexes. They are between 14½–16½" (37–42 cm) in length and weigh four ounces. The female is generally more green, the male much yellower. The tail feathers above are dark blue-green, those beneath are black. The male is generally yellow, with several shades on the head; its back is generally a collection of colorful shades of green; its beak generally red. Immature birds, like the female, are duller in colour than males.


Behaviour

A social bird, found in pairs or joining up to twenty others in flocks. The southwest subspecies, where it is common to abundant, may occur in mobs of up to one hundred birds. This produces an attractive spectacle when in flight. The movement in flight is fast and erratic, though described as graceful, with swept back wings.


Feeding

Most feeding activity is on the ground, foraging for grass seed. They also seek seed and blossoms in the limbs of trees, usually acacia and eucalypt species. Their diet also includes fruit, leaf buds and nuts of native species. The western subspecies has adapted to feed on fruits and wheat, or other cereals, introduced throughout the range after European settlement of the region.


Reproduction

Nesting is ast the base of a
tree hollow A tree hollow or tree hole is a semi-enclosed cavity which has naturally formed in the trunk or branch of a tree. They are found mainly in old trees, whether living or not. Hollows form in many species of trees, and are a prominent feature of nat ...
of great depth, up to fifteen feet within the main stem of the plant. The site is usually a large eucapylpt, with a hollow in the trunk that may reach almost to ground level, where the female lays around four eggs. The female
broods Broods is a New Zealand musical duo from Nelson, composed of Georgia Josiena Nott on lead vocals, with older brother and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Allan Joseph Nott on production and backing vocals. They released the single " Bridges", which ...
3-8 eggs for approximately 21 days. During this period she seldom departs from the nest, if at all, and is fed by the male. When the young have hatched, they are cared for by both the male and female. During this period, they can be fed several times their normal portion of feed, which they readily convey to their young. The young begin to fly at about 5 weeks.
Sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definit ...
is reached at about 2 years of age.


Conservation

While the western subspecies (''P. anthopeplus anthopeplus'') is listed as "lower risk" or "least concern", the eastern subspecies (''P. anthopeplus monarchoides'') is listed as ''vulnerable'' under the Australian ''
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...
''. A recovery plan for the subspecies was published in 2011. The bird is regarded as an agricultural pest in
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...
.


Captivity

The species is traded as an
aviary An aviary is a large enclosure for confining birds, although bats may also be considered for display. Unlike birdcages, aviaries allow birds a larger living space where they can fly; hence, aviaries are also sometimes known as flight cages. A ...
bird, referred to as the rock pebbler or regents parrot, the bird should only be acquired by experienced handlers and placed in free flying aviaries. They are not suitable for the inexperienced carer or as pets. Captive regent parrots thrive on chopped mixtures for large parrots. They also like
eggplant Eggplant ( US, Canada), aubergine ( UK, Ireland) or brinjal (Indian subcontinent, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. ''Solanum melongena'' is grown worldwide for its edible fruit. Mo ...
, fruit, sprouting seeds and a small assortment of insects. Unlike most birds parrots do not require grit in their diet, grit should only be given when a certified avian veterinarian prescribes it for digestion aid if the bird is ill. An occasional fresh
willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist ...
or fruit tree branch to "spruce up" their quarters seems to please the birds. The regent parrot is naturally hardy, so being careful to protect them from drafts and the like is unnecessary. However, they should be protected from excessive cold, as such is uncommon in their natural habitat.


See also

* List of parrots (listed by taxonomic position) * List of parrots (listed by name) *
List of Western Australian birds This is a list of the wild birds found in Western Australia. The list includes introduced species, common vagrants, recently extinct species, extirpated species, some very rare vagrants (seen once) and species only present in captivity. 629 spec ...
* Hogwash Bend Conservation Park


References


Cited text

*


External links


Animal World's Regent Parrot page
{{Taxonbar, from=Q550091 regent parrot Birds of South Australia Birds of Western Australia Endemic birds of Australia regent parrot