We have three species of rosellas in the local area – Crimson, Pale-headeds, and
very rarely Eastern rosellas. Pale-headed rosellas are by far the most common and
widely spread in our area. They are in my opinion too, the most beautiful of all the
rosellas, owing to their delicate colouration.
They are found from northern New South Wales, right up the east coast to Cape York,
although the northern sub-species has more blue on it than ours. They prefer lightly
wooded areas and are common through parks, farmlands and woodlands, and have
benefited from the thinning of undergrowth from native forests. They feed on the
ground and are very wary birds – almost to the point where you find it insulting! They
would easily be one of the most timid birds in our area.
But despite their timidness and delicate appearance they are feisty little birds and
you will often see a group of four so squabbling, quite often on the wing. What
causes this I’m not entirely sure, but I expect it would be territorial, as they are very
sedentary and have a range of only about two kilometres. So if you see some
frequently in your area pay close attention, because you are most likely seeing the
same individual birds each time.
Like almost all parrots they nest in hollows in trees and lay four to six eggs. They
have been known to hybridise with both Crimson and Eastern rosellas.
Thank you to the reader at Coalbank who wanted an identity on a “black and white
bird about twice as big as a sparrow that looks like a pee wee (but maybe has more
white on its wing)”. It is of course hard to be sure without a photo, but perhaps a
White-winged triller may be the bird in question.
This article first appeared in the High Country Herald on the 10th of September 2024