Rare (or weird) Rosella hybrid

["Karen Bayly" <>]

Hello Oz birdos

We have been observing a variety of parrots at Macquarie University as  part of a project on bird vocalisations.  We have a very peculiar visitor  which looks like a hybrid between a Crimson Rosella and an Eastern  Rosella.  Forshaw & Cooper state that hybrids of these two species are  rare.   Nevertheless we often find ourselves staring at a bird with a  crimson head, abdomen and vent, lilac cheek patches, yellow sides to the  body (just showing under folded wings), and a back, tail and wing  colouration that is very similar to that of an Eastern Rosella.

This bird is usually seen feeding alone and is quite aggressive toward  Crimson Rosellas (interactions with Easterns not yet noted). 

Has any one else ever seen a bird similar to this?  Is it a hybrid, some  weird colour variation of Eastern Rosella not commonly noted in the  standard birding books or an avicultured colour variant?

Sylvia Halkin
c/- Karen Bayly
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Karen L. Bayly
Ecology Lab
School of Biological Sciences
MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY  NSW 2109
Phone: 61 2 9850-8191 or 61 2 9850-9441
Fax:   61 2 9850-8245
Email:  OR