The Orange-Bellied Parrot

The Orange-Bellied Parrot has only about 50 breeding pairs left. It breeds in Tasmania in the Southwest National Park. It is one of the rarest birds in all of Australia. It is listed under the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

The Orange-Bellied Parrot breeds in a nest in a tree in among the dense health and tea tree thickets and forages for seeds in grasslands. During the winter it migrates to the Australian mainland dispersing over a very wide area. It spends its time there on the coast inplaces like saltmarshes and sand dunes.

The Orange-Bellied Parrot is threatened by the destruction of its winter habitat and by predation by introduced animals like foxes and cats.

A captive population of the Parrot now exists and young birds are being released to help preserve it from extinction.