A group of conservationists and bird enthusiasts recorded a sighting of the threatened and understudied Scarlet-chested Parrot in far western NSW, the fourth recording of the species in the area over the last five years.
A dozen Scarlet-chested Parrots seem to have made themselves comfortable at Australian Wildlife Conservancy's (AWC) Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary on Barkandji country, within 120-hectares of vegetation regenerated from recent burns. Although known to traverse the Great Victorian Desert between WA and SA, the parrot is rarely observed in NSW. Excitingly, adult and young birds have been sighted in four of the last five years at Scotia pointing to a small breeding population in NSW. These observations help improve the understanding of the species that is otherwise considered to be vagrant to NSW.
Garth Bowen/AWC Elated by the sighting, AWC's field team observed the parrots over 84 days, as they blended into the red sand dunes and vibrant regrowth of spinifex, while also feeding off the Mallee eucalyptus shoots.
Hannah Nichols, who was among the AWC ecologists observing the parrots, said sightings such as the one at Scotia are significant in gaining an understanding of the threatened species and protecting its future.
"A threat to the Scarlet-chested Parrot's survival is the lack of information to guide conservation strategies," she explained. "Observing the species in the wild, such as those at Scotia, are essential to examining their needs for survival such as their preferences for habitat, food sources and tree hollows."
Garth Bowen/AWC Hannah continued, saying that she and the team believe the species' presence at Scotia may have been due to a fire management program that has helped maintain habitat suitability.
"The parrots were found foraging within an area of Scotia, where AWC conducted prescribed burns around four years ago," Hannah explained. "They were also found alongside the planned burns, in an area impacted by lightning-related fire around two years ago."
"Thanks to above average rainfall in the last year and improved fire regimes, the spinifex understory of the mallee has recovered well, and we suspect conditions are exactly what these parrots were looking for to feed."
Garth Bowen/AWC Fire management is integral to the Scarlet-chested Parrots as mosaic fires result in the retention of old fire age class mallee which has hollows for breeding and reduces the risk of large bush fire completely wiping out habitat. Without careful management, populations of species like the Scarlet-chested Parrot can quickly diminish.
"The parrot sighting brings to light the importance of mosaic burns and provides hope for seeing the species return in years to come," Hannah added.
The birds have since moved on from the area they were frequenting but the team hope to see them again in future seasons.
Learn more about AWC's work at Scotia Wildlife Sanctuary, here.
