The night parrot is a small green-and-yellow-coloured species, officially known as pezoporus occidentalis, that has not been seen in its native home of Australia for over 100 years
The elusive night parrot, a small green-and-yellow bird officially known as pezoporus occidentalis, has been spotted in Australia for the first time in over a century. This nocturnal breed is notoriously difficult to monitor and protect due to its nocturnal habits.
Bird enthusiasts embarked on a mission in Ngururrpa Country to discover where these parrots reside, what threats they face, and how to ensure their survival. From 2020 to 2023, rangers and scientists deployed an array of equipment across numerous sites in the region, determined to locate the elusive bird.
They used a special device called a ‘songmeter’ to record the birds communicating through sound. In 2024, it was announced that their search had been successful. They didn’t just find one bird, but what is believed to be the largest population of the species in the world.
They discovered at least 50 of the rare species living there, having only ever detected the occasional individual in the past, reports the Express.
These rare species are so endangered they’ve been placed on the IUCN Red List, indicating a high risk of total extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated their numbers in 2022, with the BBC reporting that there could be as few as 40 to 500 left in the wild.
The hunt for these elusive creatures was no walk in the park and required a team of dedicated professionals armed with weatherproof audio recorders. The eight parrots have unique calls that can be picked up by these devices, and once one was confirmed to be in an area, camera traps were used to gather more information.
These cameras allowed the team to see what predators were attracted by the presence of the rare birds. They also collected predator droppings to help identify them and compared this with old images to understand how often they typically move through the landscape.
Nick Leseberg, an ecologist at the University of Queensland who co-authored the groundbreaking study, explained how these methods worked. According to Earth.com, he said: “One of the night parrot’s diverse array of calls sounded like ‘didly dip, didly dip’, like a telephone,” explains Leseberg.
Another sounded like ‘dink dink’, resembling a bell. “.
Their research revealed that dingoes were often heard near the rare parrot’s habitat. Despite appearing mostly harmless, cats also continued to appear, posing a threat as predators due to their stealthy nocturnal hunting.
The rediscovery of the elusive night parrot has demonstrated the effectiveness of dedicated rangers and scientists working together for a significant environmental cause. The complete study, providing further details about the species and their behaviours, is available in Wildlife Research.