Justification This species has a small population that has been declining for over a century, primarily owing to loss, degradation and fragmentation of habitat from agricultural clearance. It is therefore classified as Vulnerable.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Desmarest, 1826)

Taxonomic source(s) Christidis and Boles (1994), Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993)

Identification 40 cm. Bright green parrot with long, graduated tail. Adult male bright green with diagnostic bright yellow face sharply demarcated by bright red band across lower throat. Mainly grey undertail. Adult female duller than male with bluish-green on face, grey undertail feathers with conspicuous rose-pink edges. Juvenile similar to adult female, but with paler bill. Voice Not well known. One call is prolonged warbling note terminating abruptly or rolling, grating currack currack. Hints Easier to find during breeding season. Dispersive at other times of year.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

6,500

decreasing

81,200 km²

Yes

Range & population Polytelis swainsonii is endemic to Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. It has undergone a substantial range contraction. Bioclimatic modelling of suitable climatic conditions within its range supports this and suggests that it now occupies a relatively small part of its former range³. In Victoria, it is now largely confined to the Nathalia area, especially Barmah State Forest, birds having disappeared from central and southern areas in the early 1900s, and it has substantially declined in northern Victoria by 1930. In New South Wales, it has declined in the Parkes district since the 1960s. However, its range may have extended to Deniliquin and in northern New South Wales over the same period. The breeding population was estimated at fewer than 5,000 pairs in the early 1990s and, owing to a likely decline, was thought to number c.6,500 mature individuals in 2000. It is suspected that the population continues to decline. Variation in the recorded abundance of the species, due to its movements, may mask population trends, and compounds the reliability of population estimates⁶. High local and temporal abundance may indicate movements in response to habitat deterioration, rather than the recovery of populations⁶. The South-West Slopes of New South Wales appear to have become the most important area for the species, perhaps as habitat in other areas deteriorates⁶.

Important Bird Areas Click here to view map showing IBAs where species is recorded and triggers any of the IBA criteria.

Ecology: It nests in the New South Wales and Victorian Riverina in loose colonies in riparian woodland of river red gum Eucalyptus camaldulensis and forages in box woodland. On the slopes of the Great Dividing Range, it forages and nests in box-gum woodland, preferring highly modified, open habitat such as scattered paddock trees on private agricultural land^2,5. Nesting birds on the South-West Slopes show clear preferences for Blakely's red gum trees E. blakelyi, dead and aging trees in general, and larger trees, as all of these factors are correlated with the presence of suitable nest hollows². The species also shows a preference for lower elevations in this area, which are dominated by agriculture⁵, in contrast to the poorer soils and lower temperatures of higher elevations⁶. In the Riverina, it feeds on the seeds of herbaceous plants, switching to lerp, mistletoe berries, eucalypt flowers and grass seed in winter, and forages up to 15 km from the nest. In contrast, it appears that the most important habitats for breeding birds on the South-West Slopes are within 3 km of nest-sites⁵.

Threats Range contraction is largely the result of clearing for agriculture. Decreases in the species's abundance are linked to land clearing that does not leave scattered trees in the landscape⁶. Remaining habitat is often fragmented, with feeding and breeding habitats divided. Regeneration is commonly prevented by high grazing levels by stock and rabbits or inappropriate fire regimes. Scattered box-gum woodland is threatened by limited regeneration, rural tree dieback, removal of trees and firewood collection⁶. In breeding areas the majority of nest trees are often on private land, with scattered paddock trees in mixed agricultural land of vital importance on the South-West Slopes. Nest-site fidelity means that birds continue to use traditional breeding sites despite habitat loss and degradation⁴. Many nest trees are dead, particularly on inland slopes, and have no replacements when they fall or are cut for firewood, potentially resulting in competition with other species, particularly the Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris. There are limited provisions for the protection of dead trees, and due to continued illegal removal and natural loss of old trees a decline in nest site availability is inevitable². In areas of low occupancy, the availability of food in the breeding season, and not that of nest hollows, may limit population size⁴. In the Riverina, altered flooding regimes may compromise the health and extent of riparian woodlands where this species nests¹. Illegal trapping occurs, but is a far less significant threat than habitat loss. Birds are also killed on roadsides and possibly suffer from pesticide poisoning. The abundance and distribution of the species appears to be affected by changes in plant productivity, as influenced by climate⁶. It is therefore susceptible to climate change and its interaction with fragmentation⁶.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II. All populations were surveyed in the 1980s, and regular surveys of Barmah State Forest and along Murray, Murrumbidgee and Edward Rivers have been instigated. Annual community-based surveys occur in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales¹. Guidelines have been developed for forestry in riparian breeding habitat, but these have sometimes been inadvertently ignored.

Conservation measures proposed Refine monitoring techniques. Extend surveys of nest trees. Determine the extent of trade. Protect all known breeding and feeding habitat from clearance, including scattered paddock trees on private agricultural land⁷. Reduce firewood collection. Promote good habitat management and revegetation on private land⁵. Coordinate land management on the scale of landscapes and centuries², and involve all stakeholders⁵. Develop regional operations groups. Research the potential benefits of nest boxes². Conduct research into methods of regenerating scattered trees⁵ and develop grazing regimes suitable for eucalypt regeneration². Initiate research into population demography and communal behaviour⁴. Research importance of woodland, and potential new plantings, adjacent to breeding sites, and relationship to mortality of immatures⁴. Conduct research on local and landscape-scale movement patterns⁷. Study nest-site fidelity⁷. Carry out further investigations into, and monitoring of, the effects of climate variation on the species's abundance and distribution and the interaction with habitat loss and modification⁷.

References Garnett and Crowley (2000). 1. C. Tzaros and M. A. Weston in litt. (2003). 2. Manning et al. (2004). 3. Manning et al. (2005). 4. Leslie (2005). 5. Manning et al. (2006). 6. Manning et al. (2007). 7. A. Manning in litt. (2007).

Further web sources of information

Australian Govt - Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 - Recovery Outline

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Stephen Garnett (Charles Darwin University), Stephen Garnett (Birds Australia), Rachel McClellan (BirdLife International), John Pilgrim (BirdLife International), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Contributors Adrian Manning (Australian National University), Chris Tzaros (Birds Australia), Michael A. Weston (Birds Australia)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Guy Dutson (Birds Australia), Stephen Garnett (Charles Darwin University), Joe Taylor (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Polytelis swainsonii. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 9/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

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