The Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) in northern Western Australia: a recent sighting from the Pilbara region
Robert A. Davis A C and Brenden M. Metcalf BA School of Animal Biology M092, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
B Hotham River Cottage, 9132 Albany Highway, Boddington, WA 6390, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: rob@graduate.uwa.edu.au
Emu 108(3) 233-236 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU07058
Submitted: 3 October 2007 Accepted: 4 June 2008 Published: 8 August 2008
Abstract
The Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is an enigmatic species thought possibly to be extinct until the recent recoveries of two dead specimens from Queensland. The type specimen and many early sightings, however, came from Western Australia. We describe a new sighting of the Night Parrot from the Pilbara region of Western Australia, on 12 April 2005, at a well near the Fortescue Marshes. We provide details of our sighting and review the behaviour observed in the context of historical and contemporary records from the north-west of Western Australia.
Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Piers Higgs (Gaia Resources) for constructing Fig. 1 and to Fortescue Metals Group Ltd, especially Luke Sibon and Dianne Dowdell, for supporting Night Parrot research. John Blyth provided us with much of the early literature and his knowledge and enthusiasm. Mike Bamford provided the initial and subsequent opportunities to find out more about Night Parrots, and encouraged us to write this paper. We are grateful to Allan Burbidge for providing us with references and information and for his constructive comments on an early draft of this manuscript. Leo Joseph, Mike Double, David Watson and two anonymous referees also provided valuable advice on earlier drafts of this manuscript.
Andrew, D. G. , and Eades, D. W. (1991). Twitchers’ corner. Wingspan 1, 13–18.
Boles, W. E. , Longmore, N. W. , and Thompson, M. C. (1994). A recent specimen of the Night Parrot Geopsittacus occidentalis. Emu 94, 37–40..
Forshaw, J. M. , Fullagar, P. J. , and Harris, J. I. (1976). Specimens of the Night Parrot in museums throughout the world. Emu 76, 120–126.
Ives, N. L. (1971). Possible nest of Night Parrot in the Pilbara, WA. The Western Australian Naturalist 12, 11–12.
Kershaw, J. A. (1943). Concerning a rare parrot. The Victorian Naturalist 59, 196.
McGilp, J. N. (1898 ). Geopsittacus occidentalis, Night Parrot. South Australian Ornithologist 11, 68–70.
North, A. J. (1898 ). List of birds collected by the Calvert exploring expedition in Western Australia. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 22, 125–192.
Parker, S. (1980). Birds and conservation parks in the north-east of South Australia. South Australian Parks and Conservation 3, 11–18.
Powell, B. (1970). The Night Parrot. South Australian Ornithologist 25, 208–209.
Sclater, P. L. (1867). Night Parrot. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1867, 891.
Stafford, A. (2007). Night Parrot find suppressed. Wingspan 17, 12–13.
Storr, G. M. (1980). Birds of the Kimberley Division of Western Australia. Western Australian Museum Special Publication 11, 54.
Wilson, H. (1937). Notes on the Night Parrot, with reference to recent occurrences. Emu 37, 79–87.