An Australian Bird Book: A Pocket Book for Field UseLeach, John Albert
Science
An Australian Bird Book: A Pocket Book for Field Use
Leach, John Albert
Birds -- Australia
In the true Parrot family, Australia is strongly represented by many
beautiful birds. The first is the Barraband Parrakeet of Gould, and
the Green Leek of some ornithologists. As the name Green Leek is
practically in universal use for the Musk Lorikeet (Green Keet) of the
ornithologist, it seems desirable to sink an inappropriate name into
a synonym, and use the earlier name, Superb Parrot, for it is a
beautiful bird. Sad to say, it has become exceedingly rare, though Mr.
A. W. Milligan informed me, a few days ago, that he saw six fly into
some pines at Black Rock one day this month (January, 1911).
The Rock Pebble, or Smoker, of the country dweller, formally called
the Black-tailed Parrot, is a fine bird. His tail, however, is not
really black, but is strongly iridescent. He nested in numbers, at
the beginning of the nineties, in the dead box-trees in Lake Corrong.
After an early tea, we frequently went over to the lake and watched
the birds feeding their young. No longer do they inhabit that
district, which has been completely cleared and placed under
cultivation.
The big King Parrot is a "showy, noble species," and is still common
in parts, especially the moist forest districts.
The members of the next group form a sub-family--the
Broad-tails--confined to Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the
Pacific Islands. Judging by their names, they must be amongst the most
beautiful of birds. The best known is the common Rosella, often
quoted in European books as one of the most beautiful of birds.
Its scientific name is eximius, which means excellent. Indeed, the
scientific names of Australian parrots give a good indication of
their place amongst the glories of the bird world. The cousin of the
Rosella--the large blue-winged and blue-cheeked Crimson Parrot--is
well named elegans; a grass parrot is also elegans, then follow
splendidus, splendida, and pulchella, while that great ornithologist,
Gould, has conferred the honor of pulcherrimus on another Australian
parrot. These names, given by scientists, will show Australians in
what high esteem these birds, so common with us, are held by observers
from other lands.
The Crimson Parrot, previously mentioned, is, I think, becoming
common, for I have lately seen it flying about in towns, notably in
the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, the Zoological Gardens, Melbourne, and
the school yard at Wangaratta.
The Yellow Parrakeet, with its blue cheeks, is a "harmony in blue and
canary yellow, and is an exceedingly lovely bird." It is unfortunately
rare.
The next bird is one of our well-known cage pets--the beautiful
Ringneck--the Mallee Parrot. It flies ahead of one along the
half-chain strip of scrub left on mallee roads, and is a feature of
interest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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