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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 34(8)

Ecological factors facilitating city-dwelling in red-rumped parrots

Hélène Lowry A and Alan Lill A B C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Wildlife Ecology Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Clayton, Vic. 3800, Australia.

B School of Psychology, Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Vic. 3800, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: alan.lill@sci.monash.edu.au

Wildlife Research 34(8) 624-631 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR07025
Submitted: 27 February 2007  Accepted: 31 October 2007   Published: 18 December 2007

Abstract

The red-rumped parrot (Psephotus haematonotus), which appears to be undergoing range expansion, started colonising metropolitan Melbourne ~30 years ago. The factors that have facilitated this colonisation have not been evaluated. We investigated aspects of the parrot’s ecology at six parkland sites through late autumn and winter 2006 to elucidate these factors. The predominantly ground-feeding red-rumped parrot consumed mainly seeds of exotic grass and herb species, four of which were particularly important in providing a continuous winter food resource. Two of these species were common turf grasses and their visible and concealed seeds provided >50% of the diet. Sites occupied by parrots had relatively more native trees, tall trees and dense canopy cover than unoccupied sites; this may be important in providing suitable daytime and nocturnal roost sites. Little aggressive interference competition occurred with other ground-feeding birds. Mean population density in occupied sites was 1.3 parrots ha–1. Mean flock size was 10 ± 6 and, on average, males comprised 67 ± 19% of a flock’s members. We suggest that abundant, continuously available food (seed) resources, apparently limited competition for food and the presence of suitable roosting sites are probably important in facilitating winter occupancy of parkland by red-rumped parrots in Melbourne.


Acknowledgements

We thank David Aldous and John Reid for help with plant identification, Murray Logan and Merrilyn Serong for statistical assistance and Fiona Harney and Keith Lowry for helping with vegetation surveying. We are grateful to several ornithologists who provided information about sites used by RRPs, and to two anonymous referees for their comments on the paper. The study was approved by the Monash University School of Biological Sciences Animal Ethics Committee.


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