Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Psittaciformes
Superfamily:
Psittacoidea
Family:
Psittaculidae
Subfamily:
Platycercinae
Tribe:
Platycercini
Genus:
Barnardius Bonaparte,
1854
Species:
B. zonarius
Binomial name:
Barnardius zonarius
Description:
The Australian Ringneck is a
large parrot, differing in size and plumage in different regions. There are
four subspecies, in two main groups. All are mostly green, with an obvious
yellow band on the hind-neck. Members of the Mallee group have a mainly green
head and neck. The Mallee Ringneck, subspecies barnardi, has a more varied
green and blue body, with more yellow underneath and a red frontal band. The
Cloncurry subspecies macgillivrayi has much more yellow and pale
turquoise around the face. The Port Lincoln groups all have dark hoods and are
mainly green. The Twenty Eight Parrot, subspecies semitorquatus, has a red
frontal band and is all green underneath. The Port Lincoln Parrot,
subspecies zonarius, is green and yellow underneath. All subspecies hybridise
widely. They are quiet when feeding, but when disturbed fly off with loud alarm
calls. Their flight is swift and undulating. This species is also known as the
Mallee, Port Lincoln, Banded or Cloncurry Ringneck, Twenty Eight Parrot or Buln
Buln.
Similar
species:
The Australian Ringneck is
unmistakeable with a yellow hind collar on a mostly green bird.
Distribution:
The Australian Ringneck is
endemic to (only found in) Australia. The Mallee group is found in arid eastern
Northern Territory, north-western Queensland and inland eastern Australia. The
Port Lincoln group is in central and western arid Australia. Ringnecks are
generally absent from coastal areas in the eastern states though aviary escapes
may be found around Sydney and the Central Coast of New South Wales and the
Tablelands.
Habitat:
Australian Ringnecks are
found in pairs or small flocks over lightly timbered areas, open woodlands and
tree-lined watercourses.
Seasonal movements:
They are mainly resident or
sedentary, but may move in arid areas in response to rainfall.
Feeding:
Australian Ringnecks feed
mainly on the ground, but also in trees and shrubs, usually in the morning and
late afternoon, resting in the heat of the day. They eat seeds, and some
fruits, flowers, nectar and insects and their larvae. They often feed on spilt
grain on roadsides.
Breeding:
Australian Ringnecks lay their
eggs in hollows in living or dead trees on a bare base or on rotting wood dust.
They enter through a hole in the trunk, a knothole or a spout. The female
incubates the eggs while being fed by the male and she may leave the nest for a
short time to be fed by him. The young are fed by both parents and often can be
seen at the mouth of the hollow.
Living with us:
In the east, numbers are
affected by clearing of mallee scrub and woodland for agriculture. Ringnecks
were considered vermin in Western Australia and were shot as orchard pests in
open shooting seasons. Aviary
escapees are seen around urban areas in the east.
