Regent Parrot (eastern)
Polytelis anthopeplus monarchoides
Australia's Threatened Species Category
Vulnerable
Listed since: Mon Oct 01 2012 14:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
IUCN's Threatened Species Category
Least Concern
Listed since: Sat Jan 09 2016 14:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Population trend: Decreasing
Other names: None
Priority Species? No
The Australian government's Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032 selected over 100 priority species derived from consultation with threatened species experts and the wider community. While all species are important, focusing on a limited number of species can help target effort and resources so that outcomes can be achieved, measured and shared.
Description
The eastern subspecies of the Regent Parrot is a slim, medium-sized yellow or green parrot with contrasting blue-black wings and tail. The males and females appear different. The Regent Parrot (eastern) is confined to the semi-arid interior of southeastern mainland Australia.
Threats
The main threats to the Regent Parrot (eastern) are the clearing, fragmentation and modification of riparian River Red Gum and Black Box woodlands that are used for breeding and adjacent mallee areas that are used for foraging. The greatest threat has been the loss of breeding season foraging habitat associated with the clearing of mallee vegetation within 20 km of the Murray River, for both agriculture and horticulture, with much of the remaining habitat now fragmented and separated too widely from breeding areas, making it inaccessible for breeding Regent Parrots (eastern), which must fly two to three times daily from breeding sites to foraging areas. In addition, nesting habitat in River Red Gum forests and woodlands along the Murray River has also been destroyed, and its regeneration has been, and continues to be, hampered by commercial logging for timber, firewood collection, ringbarking on agricultural land, salinisation and waterlogging