Red-rumped parrots in Melbourne

[Peter Higgins <>]

Dear Michael, Laurie and all

> My guess - summarising quite a bit
> of data - includes Red-rumped Parrots (RRPs) being historically part of
> the Melbourne scene (we have local records back to 1949 in a range
> of habitats).  
> Does anyone know about food preferences ?  A while ago there were
> postings on Birding-aus about RRPs enjoying introduced Annual Meadow
> Grass and Cape Weed.  Identifying what pigeons and
> doves (Crested, Bronzewing or Spotted) are eating is much harder.
> Michael Norris

There is much info. on diet of all species in Volumes 3 (pigeons) and
Volume 4 (Red-rumped) of HANZAB.  

In one study in Melbourne (57 observations), dominant item of Red-rumps
was leaves of Polygonum aviculare (79% of observations); other
observations were seeds and leaves.   In one detailed study of
Crested Pigeons near Griffith in NSW (contents of crops of dead birds)
dominant items were seeds of Triticum aestivum (47% by volume),
and of Paterson's Curse Echium plantagineum (33.4% volume). 
In a study of Spotted Turtle-Doves (contents of 466 crops of dead birds
from Melbourne, Sydney & Perth), dominant items were seeds of 
Rumex (19% frequency), seeds of various lawn grasses (15%
frequency), and seeds of Triticum aestivum (41% frequency). 
In one study of Common Bronzewing, 86% (by volume) of crops was seeds of
Acacia.

There are more details of these studies, other detailed studies and
anecdotal records summarized in HANZAB.

Hope this is of some help.

Peter Higgins
Managing Editor, Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic
Birds