While at Killawarra State Forest (NE Victoria) on the weekend surveying the
forest for Regent Honeyeaters (full report posted) several of us saw a very
vividly coloured Swift Parrot.
In my experience (and I've given up trying to count the number of Swift
Parrots I've looked at this winter) Swift Parrots normally have green
underparts with red underwings and reddish undertail coverts (the latter
not shown in Slater 1989). HANZAB's description of the adult male includes
"Underbody slightly paler than upperparts, more yellow-green, with large
red blotches on flanks (hidden by folded wings at rest) and a few smaller
blotches of red on sides of vent and, occasionally, centre of belly ;
undertail coverts, bright red to peach red ...."
The bird that we saw had a large amount of red blotched across the belly
and up onto the lower breast. It was estimated that 30 to 40% of the
underparts were red. We were beneath the bird watching to feed on what was
probably lerp in a Grey Box and move around the branches in the open.
Probably as good a view as you would get of a Swift Parrot.
A very nice bird.
David Geering
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