Endangered Orange-bellied parrot returns to the Bellarine

BELLARINE Peninsula communities are encouraged to be on the lookout for the orange-bellied parrot as they visit the region’s wetlands.

The parrot has recently been spotted in patches of coastal Saltmarsh and are known for their appearance and unique migratory pattern.

One of the few migratory parrot species in the world, they breed in Tasmania during summer before migrating across the Bass Strait and spending winter in coastal Victoria, including Lake Connewarre and Swan Bay.

Bellarine Catchment Networks Naomi Wells said the beauty of the bird and their migration patterns are what makes them so special.

“It’s a migratory parrot that visits the Bellarine Peninsula in our winter, where most other birds are elsewhere, going back up to the northern hemisphere,” she said.

“It’s one that actually visits our backyard in winter when there’s not much else around.”

Threatened by habitat loss, changes to their habitat, invasive weeds and a lack of genetic testing, Orange-bellied parrots face a high risk of extinction in the wild.

Ms Wells said the parrot is such an iconic species that are critically endangered.

“It’s actually quite close to extinction, and so it’s one that we really want to try and protect that from happening.”

From 2021 until 2023 captive-bred birds were released at several locations including Lake Conewarree, with the goal of attracting migrating birds to good habitats to help build wintering flocks.

Orange-bellied parrots have a green body, yellow underbelly and an orange patch on their lower belly, they are also 30 per cent larger than a budgie, making them distinctive in the wild.

There are other birds in the region that look similar to the Orange-bellied parrot including the Blue-winged parrot and the Red-rumped parrot.

“We are really asking people to keep an eye out for the Orange-bellied parrot and to become familiar with the look alikes,” Ms Wells said.

If residents and visitors believe they have spotted the bird, they are asked to take a photo and submit it to the Bellarine Peninsula Orange-bellied Parrot Regional Group Co-ordination Craig Morley at [email protected]

This will track the success of conservation efforts and help understand the parrots’ behaviour and movements.