Orange-bellied parrot  (Neophema chrysogaster)

Biology

Orange-bellied parrots are monogamous and begin breeding in their first year (3). Nests are made within the holes of eucalypt trees and the female incubates the clutch of four eggs (3). Most adults leave the breeding range for their winter migration in February, with juveniles following later, and take many months to reach the coast of mainland Australia (3). Having spent the winter in central Victoria and the coast of South Australia, the first adults begin the return journey in September, making the crossing in a matter of days (3). In the wild, orange-bellied parrots have a life expectancy of less than four years (3).

These parrots eat a range of seeds and fruits of grasses, sedges and herbs by foraging on the ground or climbing on food plants (3).

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