Crimson Rosella

"Australian Native Birds" series : # 2

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The Crimson Rosella (Platycercus elegans) is a parrot native to eastern and south eastern Australia which has been introduced to New Zealand and Norfolk Island. It is commonly found in, but not restricted to, mountain forests and gardens. The species as it now stands has subsumed two former separate species, the Yellow Rosella and the Adelaide Rosella.

There are five subspecies, three of which are actually crimson. The red is replaced by yellow in the case of var. flaveolus and a mixture of red, orange and yellow in the Adelaide Rosella.

Adults and juveniles generally show strikingly different colouration in south-eastern populations, with predominantly greenish-olive body plumage on the juvenile, most persistent on the nape and breast. Juveniles are said to 'ripen' as they get older and turn from green to red. All races have blue cheeks and black-scalloped blue-margined wings and predominantly blue tail with predominantly red coloration. The Crimson Rosella’s blue tail feathers are one of the favourite decorations of the Satin Bowerbird. The bill is pale grey and the iris dark brown.

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Info sourced from Wikipedia.org
Bird reference = amatteroflight.com/gallery2/d/…

Artwork (c) *FlightDesigns

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"AUSTRALIAN NATIVES" series