The Scarlet-chested Parrot (Neophema splendida), known alternately as Scarlet-breasted parrot, Orange-throated parrot or Splendid parrot, is a parrot

Parrot

Parrots, also known as psittacines , are birds of the roughly 372 species in 86 genera that make up the order Psittaciformes, found in most tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three families: the Psittacidae , the Cacatuidae and the Strigopidae...

 endemic to central South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 and inland southern Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

. The species is sexually dimorphic; the male has a bright blue face and scarlet chest and yellow underparts, amid overall green plumage, while the female is similar but lacks the red chest. These nomadic parakeets move readily from the Great Victoria Desert

Great Victoria Desert

The Great Victoria Desert is a barren and sparsely populated desert area of southern Australia.-Location and description:The Great Victoria is the biggest desert in Australia and consists of many small sandhills, grassland plains, areas with a closely packed surface of pebbles and salt lakes...

 region into neighbouring areas. These interruptions are triggered by a search for more favourable conditions. They can survive quite well without access to drinking water, however, as succulent plants help meet much of their fluid requirement. They feed mainly on grass seeds and are most commonly sighted in spinifex.

Taxonomy

The Scarlet-chested Parrot was originally named by the renowned ornithologist and artist John Gould

John Gould

John Gould was an English ornithologist and bird artist. The Gould League in Australia was named after him. His identification of the birds now nicknamed "Darwin's finches" played a role in the inception of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...

 in 1841 as Euphema splendida, before it was given its current binomial name in 1891 by moving into the new genus Neophema. Its specific name splendida is the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 adjective "splendid". No subspecies are recognised. It is one of six species of grass parrot in the genus Neophema, and is most closely related to the Turquoise Parrot

Turquoise Parrot

The Turquoise Parrot is a parrot previously widespread in Eastern Australia, though now mainly found in northeastern New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria....

. Common names include Scarlet-chested Parrot, Orange-throated Parrot, Splendid Parrot, Scarlet-breasted Parrot, and Scarlet-chested Parakeet in aviculture.

Description

Measuring 19–21 cm (8 in) in length, this small brightly coloured parrot is sexually dimorphic. The male has a scarlet chest, a cobalt blue face, and bright green upperparts. The lower breast and underparts are yellow, and the wing coverts are pale blue. The tail is green, the eyes are brown and the bill is blackish, and legs are brown-grey. The female likewise has a blue face, although the coloration is less extensive, green upperparts and green breast, with yellow underparts. Immature birds are duller versions of their respective adult forms. Males begin to get red plumage on their chest from around two or three months of age, though do not complete their red chest until fifteen to eighteen months old.

The female resembles the female Turquoise Parrot

Turquoise Parrot

The Turquoise Parrot is a parrot previously widespread in Eastern Australia, though now mainly found in northeastern New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria....

 (N. pulchella) of eastern Australia, but can be distinguished by the blue lores and paler blue wing patch.

The call is a soft twittering, quieter than other members of the genus Neophema.

Distribution and habitat

The Scarlet-chested Parrot is sparsely scattered across the dryer southern parts of the Australian continent, from Pingelly, Corrigin and Laverton in Western Australia east across South Australia and into the southern Northern Territory and into far western New South Wales. It has been classified as vulnerable in New South Wales, the dangers highlighted include the harvesting of trees that are potential and actual nesting sites, as larger trees are necessary for suitable hollows, possible trapping for the pet trade, and grazing by stock and feral animals. They inhabit dry Eucalyptus and Acacia scrubland and grassland, including Atriplex

Atriplex

Atriplex is a plant genus of 100-200 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache . The genus is quite variable and widely distributed. It includes many desert and seashore plants and halophytes, as well as plants of moist environments...

and Triodia

Triodia (plant genus)

Triodia is a large genus of hummock-forming grass endemic to Australia; they are commonly known as spinifex, although they are not a part of the coastal genus Spinifex. There are currently 64 recognised species...

. True estimates of rarity or abundance are difficult to determine; although the bird is brightly coloured, it is secretive and easily overlooked.

Feeding

Seeds of grasses make up the diet, and they are thought to utilise succulent plants such as Calandrinia

Calandrinia

Calandrinia is a plant genus that contains many species of purslane, including the redmaids. The genus was named for Jean Louis Calandrini, an 18th century Swiss botanist. It includes around 150 species of annual herbs which bear colorful flowers in shades of red to purple and white...

to meet much of their fluid requirement.

Breeding

Breeding season is from August to October or after rainfall, with one or occasionally two broods raised depending on rainfall. A hollow in a small tree, often a mulga or eucalypt, is utilised for nesting, and a clutch of four to six round white eggs measuring 23×19 mm is laid there.

Aviculture

The Scarlet-chested Parrot is becoming more common in captivity, and is one of the more popular species of the genus Neophema in captivity both in Australia and overseas. Their quiet temperament and small size increase their appeal as aviary birds. Many mutations are seen, including the red-fronted, par blue, sea green (Sydney Blue), white fronted blue (Recessive), cinnamon (sex-linked), and more rarely lutino and fallow. Although the species has more mutations than any other member of the genus, they tend to be frail healthwise and short-lived. Scarlet-chested Parrots are also vulnerable to Candida

Candida (genus)

Candida is a genus of yeasts. Many species are harmless commensals or endosymbionts of animal hosts including humans, but other species, or harmless species in the wrong location, can cause disease. Candida albicans can cause infections in humans and other animals, especially in immunocompromised...

infections in aviculture.