Larry's Gallery:   Bourke's Parrot (1/5)

PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae

Neopsephotus bourkii  

"These have a reputation for being birds of the dark or of the twilight, and are sometimes called the Sundown Parrots. Years ago Charles Sturt referred to the bird's nocturnal habits and recorded that during the day it stayed in bushes behind his camp, and only came in to drink when it was so dark that often it flew into the tent rope.

But frequently at the Bore we saw them by day as they fed on the ground near us in small groups or pairs. These are tame and friendly birds. They are mainly a soft brown, with a distinctive pink breast."*

*Schurmann, Ted (1984). Australian Birdwatcher's Diary. Rigby Publishers, p.84-85.