1. Night Parrot Allan Burbidge Steve Murphy Leo Joseph
From Forshaw & Cooper 1978

2. What does a NP look like?
Green, black and yellow; no big blocks of colour
Dumpy, nocturnal terrestrial parrot ca cm long, probably ca 100 gm
No eye-shine; hops and walks
Difficult to describe unequivocally

3. Taxonomy & phylogeny Note: Pezoporus – hints re ecology of NP?
Neophema – ecology; identification issues
Nocturnal/crepuscular, Habitats, ground nesting
Joseph et al. (2011) Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59: 675–684

4. Identification
Very easily confused with other bird species, especially in poor light (numerous reports based on Neophema spp)
Parker: like green quail in flight
Night Parrots are nocturnal
Like owlet-nightjars, do not have eye-shine
Bourke’s Parrots come in to drink in very poor light – difficult to discern colours
Elegant Parrots may also drink well after sunset (R. Johnstone pers. comm.)
See also Joseph et al Wingspan 20: 44-45

5. History & distribution
Isolated populations ?
(cf some other arid zone species)
Genetic structuring?
Murphy et al.
(records to 2007)

6. Habitat
Murphy 2012:
Habitat descriptions associated with specimens, or recorded by authoritative collectors unambiguously list Triodia and/or chenopod dominated systems as being the main habitat types used by Night Parrots
Habitat descriptions associated with unconfirmed observations also list Triodia and/or chenopod dominated systems as being the main habitat types used by Night Parrots

7. Biology and ecology
The little information about Night Parrot diet lists Triodia as being important and other features attest to Night Parrots being primarily granivorous
But:
unusual bill shape
report of invertebrate food
Western Ground Parrot: Alan Danks

8. Biology and ecology
Authoritative collectors maintain that Night Parrots do drink at waterholes
BUT
- obligatory or facultative ?
- WGP doesn’t go to water in the wild
- J Young experience
Western Ground Parrot
Photo: Brent Barrett/DPaW

9. Biology and ecology
There is relatively reliable evidence that Night Parrots rely on Triodia systems for feeding, breeding and daytime roosting
By comparison, the reason why Night Parrots use chenopod systems is less certain
(Chenopods and succulents analogous to coastal heaths used by GPs)

10. Biology and ecology
Anecdotal observations suggest that Night Parrots undertake seasonally-driven, landscape-scale movements
Presumably related to diet/food availability
Tail and wing shape and proportions suggest capable of moving far quickly
Or: maybe just juveniles disperse?
Or: irruptive?
Or: ??

11. Biology and ecology: calls
Frog-like calls and various whistling calls described in literature
Said to sound like Ground Parrots (or Pied Honeyeaters, which show similar pattern and frequency)
How much like GPs?
Ground Parrot vocalisations varied, bimodal calling times
NP expected to have similar calling times
- implications for acoustic surveys
Adapted from Burbidge et al Emu 107: 79-88

12. Likely threatening processes
Introduced predators (foxes, cats) (note similarity with CWR mammals)
Altered fire regimes (esp extensive fires in Triodia)
Introduced herbivores (cattle, sheep, camels, ….)
Photo: Neil Hamilton

13. Strategy for the future
First priority: we need to learn how to find NPs
- determination of probability of detection, if present
- test and evaluate different survey methods
With any population found:
- secure site from introduced predators
- secure site from introduced herbivores
- secure site from inappropriate fire management
- determine basic ecological needs – diet, habitat,
relationship with fire, breeding requirements,
movements, etc

14. Queensland, 2013 John Young Night Parrot Photo by Jack Tran
Photo by John Young

15. Implications of 2013 discovery
The first real opportunity to test search/census methods
The first real opportunity to systematically study the ecology of the species
Critical that this opportunity is not lost
Location details not divulged: maintain study integrity, land holder sensitivities, fire risk
Martin Thompson