Australian Ringnecks

["Claire Stevenson" <>]

Hey Grant,

 

AFAIK there are two species within which are three subspecies.

 

You have the "Western Ringneck" Barnardius zonarius, of which there are two subspecies: the 'Port Lincoln Ringneck' B. z. zonarius and the 'Twenty-eight' B. z. semiquatorus. Then you have the 'Eastern Ringneck' or 'Mallee Ringneck' Barnardius barnardi, of which there is the subspecies 'Cloncurry Ringneck' B. b. macgillivrayi. Forshaw gives it as two species Barnardius zonarius and Barnardius barnardi, each with three subspecies(see below).

 

Mallee Ringneck - Barnardius barnardi

                              sub species:    B. b. barnardi

                              sub species:    B. b. whitei

                              sub species:    B. b. macgillivrayi

 

Port Lincoln Parrot - Barnardius zonarius

                              sub species:    B. z. zonarius

                              sub species:    B. z. semiquatorus

                              sub species:    B. z. occidentalis

 

Some authors consider all birds to be one species and include them in the genus Platycercus, the rosellas.

 

The two western species interbreed rampantly in Perth so it becomes hard to tell whos who. I've personally seen an adult 28 feeding a fledgling port-lincoln and you often see birds of mixed plumage colourations and mixed flocks. The only real distinguishable characteristic is the call. Birds in the northern suburbs have the definate 'twenty-eight twenty-eight" call, while birds in the eastern, western and southern suburbs have a two or three note whistle, resembling nothing like their namesake call. I've noticed over the years that I hear the 'twenty-eight' call much less than when I did when I was a child. This leads me to suggest that perhaps the characteristics of one subspecies may be drowing those of the other, in the Perth region. But locals call all birds '28s' regardless. Sorry for the rambling!!

 

- CS