leucistic Crimson Rosella

[Sue Lashko <>]

Today while surveying for the Braidwood Landcare group, John Brannan spotted an "odd" rosella in company with an adult Crimson Rosella.  They were showing considerable interest in a tree hollow.  The bird looked like a paler version of a Yellow Rosella flaveolus with blue cheeks but no red frons.  Afterwards, at lunch one of the property owners showed us the attached photo, taken in August about 15 km as a the crow (rosella?) flies from today's sighting.  Both John and I thought that the bird we saw today was more yellow than the bird in the photo but that could be because it was taken through a window, light, camera etc. (NB: the photo was given to me as a printed version and hasn't been enhanced etc).

One other Landcare member said that he first saw one of these pale rosellas in the Braidwood area in 1998,. which raises a couple of questions?

1. would a rosella live for at least 19 years?
2. would a pale bird like this mate with a crimson bird and produce pale offspring, or crimson offspring or some of each?

Cheers

Sue

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