r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • 26d ago
Verified The night parrot was believed to be extinct for almost 80 years. One of Australia's most elusive birds, this nocturnal parrot lives in isolated arid regions, spending most of its time on the ground and hiding within tunnels of spinifex grass.
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u/howdoeseggsworkuguys 26d ago
I just think Night Parrot is the coolest name
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u/forams__galorams 26d ago
Those bird ecologists been looking for it in the day for nearly 80 years, until one of them remembered what it was called and switched up the survey shift patterns.
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u/Funny_Werewolf5740 25d ago
It should be the name of one of those noir gloomy superheros, but with a goofy side
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u/leverati 25d ago
Fun fact: It's pretty blinded by night, which is probably why it's not doing so hot, survival-wise.
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u/generally-speaking 26d ago
An Australian animal that doesn't want to kill me? Pfft, definitely fake.
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u/Defiant-Temperature6 26d ago
This bird look very similar to wild budgerigars. It's likely misidentified hundreds of times.
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u/IdyllicSafeguard 26d ago
The night parrot lives across Australia's arid interior; from Western Australia to Western Queensland and Northwestern New South Wales.
Out of the 400 or so parrot species around the world, the night parrot is one of only two nocturnal parrots — the other being the flightless kākāpō of New Zealand.
The night parrot shelters in tunnels of spinifex grass during the day, coming out at night to feed on seeds, grasses, and grains.
This parrot typically moves along the ground and although it can fly, it doesn't do so often and usually only for short distances.
The call of a night parrot is a little ‘ding-ding’ and a short froggy ‘grieet’.
The first known night parrot specimen was collected in 1845. Several decades of sparse sightings followed but, by the early 1900s, sightings had nearly ceased. The last specimen was collected in 1912 and soon after the species was presumed to be extinct.
Like a feathered thylacine, people continued to search for this "extinct" parrot and several sightings were reported in the 60s and 70s. Then a dead parrot was found in 1990 and 2006. And, finally, in 2013, scientists discovered a living population.
The species is considered 'critically endangered' with major threats including wildfires, invasive predators (feral cats and foxes), and overgrazing by cattle causing habitat degradation.
Dingoes were the most commonly recorded animal around known night parrot nesting sights — but instead of preying on parrots, the dingoes actually keep away feral cats.
The best estimate for how many mature parrots live in the wilds is only 200 individuals, but given how elusive the species is — emerging at night and living in the inhospitable Outback — it is a rough estimate.
In 2024, in part of the Great Sandy Desert, a team of Indigenous rangers and scientists discovered the largest ever population of these parrots; some 40 to 50 individuals, based on the prevalence of nesting sights.
You can learn more about the cryptic night parrot on my website here!