That was my understanding about “Rose Hillers” also, Nick.
I just went and checked the bower nearby. It seems to have been destroyed and abandoned, but in addition to pieces of blue plastic, he had a Crimson Rosella feather
(see photos).
Now I’m curious whether some bowers are only maintained during the breeding season? The one I knew in Lamington National park was jealously guarded and carefully
maintained year-round. The Bowerbirds only seem to be resident in our part of Kambah at certain times of the year – perhaps only Spring? Explore in ebird suggests that they’re only present nearby between April and September (so Winter and Spring), but I may
also be the only one providing records of them for my local area. My suspicion is that they may move to areas like the Murrumbidgee valley, but for the ACT overall, ebird suggests that they are present year-round. I’d love to be able to see from the data whether
they do move around seasonally.
From: Canberrabirds [
On Behalf Of Nick Payne via Canberrabirds
Sent: Wednesday, 19 November 2025 12:56 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Fwd: Bowerbird obsession with blue?
According to Trove (https://trove.nla.gov.au/trivia/how-did-rosella-get-its-name) the name Rosella is derived from "Rose Hiller", that being the early name applied to the parrots
which were abundant in Rosehill.
Nick Payne
On 19/11/2025 09:42, Julie Hotchin via Canberrabirds wrote:
Hi Kim,
Yes, that's it. The Rosehill Parakeet is an early colonial name for the Eastern Rosella and Crimson Rosellas are also known as Pennant's Parakeets or Pennantian Parrot, after Thomas Pennant, an eighteenth-century Welsh naturalist (from
Australian Bird Names: Origins and Meanings by Ian Fraser and Jeannie Gray).
On Wed, 19 Nov 2025, 9:01 am Kim Farley via Canberrabirds, <> wrote:
A nice post and pic, Geoffrey. Presumably the Rose-hill Parakeet is the Eastern Rosella? But what is the Pennantian Parrakeet? Crimson Rosella perhaps?
On Wed, Nov 19, 2025 at 8:45 AM Geoffrey Dabb via Canberrabirds <> wrote:
Relevant evidence is provided by Gould’s Birds of Australia (1848), lithograph by J & E Gould. Gould refers to ‘blue tail feathers of the Rose-hill
and Pennantian Parrakeets, bleached bones, the shells of snails, & c.’. Gould shows the skull of a small animal. Perhaps an antechinus? An expert might be able to identify it from the dentition, and tell us if it is one of the small mammals that have become
extinct since European occupation of the continent or, disappointingly, merely an arrival with the First Fleet.
From: Canberrabirds
<>
On Behalf Of Rob Geraghty via Canberrabirds
Sent: Tuesday, 18 November 2025 9:45 PM
To: ben milbourne <>
Cc: Canberra birds <>
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] Bowerbird obsession with blue?
I saw a bower in the Brisbane Ranges years ago which was a long way from people. It was decorated with snail shells, rocks and blue native tobacco flowers.
On Tue, 18 Nov 2025, 19:54 ben milbourne via Canberrabirds, <>
wrote:
Curious ... What did bowerbirds collect prior to the availability of blue manmade objects?
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