Elected representatives in government are in charge of the policy and funding that can make or break saving threatened species. Their decisions and actions matter.
Mallee has or used to have 39 threatened animals within its boundaries. One of them is me, the Superb Parrot.
We took care to attach appropriate images that are as close to representative of each species as our resources and the availability of images allowed. However, we could not ensure perfect accuracy in every case. Some images show species that share the same genus but not at the species or subspecies level.
Superb Parrot
Polytelis swainsonii
Status: Vulnerable
The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) lists threatened species under six categories:
Extinct, Extinct in the wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Conservation dependent. Read more about these categories
Polytelis swainsonii is found across 14 electorates.
The Superb Parrot is a medium-sized parrot with bright green plumage and a long tail. The males and females are dimorphic. Males are generally bright green, though slightly paler and yellowish below, with a blueish wash on the crown and nape, a bright-yellow face and bright red band across the throat, slightly darker green tail, and a blue leading edge to the upperwing. The bill is brownish red, the eyes red; and the legs and feet are grey. Females are paler than males, being generally dull green with a blueish-green wash to the face, grading to greyish green on the upper throat, a pale pinkish patch on the lower throat, and a dull yellow-green underbody with pink-red thighs. The bill is brownish red, the eyes crimson and the legs and feet grey. Juveniles are generally similar to adult females except without any blueish wash to the face or pink wash to the throat. The species is usually seen in small flocks, and occasionally larger ones of up to 60 or more birds. When females are incubating, flocks may be comprised only of males.¹
Explore more about this species on the Atlas of Living Australia
Adverse fire regimes
Climate change and severe weather
Habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation
Invasive species and diseases
Overexploitation and other direct harm from human activities
Pollution
Explore more about the threats facing species on our Resources page.
- Jumping-jack Wattle (Acacia enterocarpa)
- Hairy-pod Wattle (Acacia glandulicarpa)
- River Swamp Wallaby-grass (Amphibromus fluitans)
- Downy Star-bush (Asterolasia phebalioides)
- Atriplex infrequens (Atriplex infrequens)
- Austrostipa wakoolica (Austrostipa wakoolica)
- Grampians Pincushion-lily (Borya mirabilis)
- McIvor Spider-orchid (Caladenia audasii)
- Coloured Spider-orchid (Caladenia colorata)
- Elegant Spider-orchid (Caladenia formosa)
- Tawny Spider-orchid (Caladenia fulva)
- Wimmera Spider-orchid (Caladenia lowanensis)
- Ornate Pink Fingers (Caladenia ornata)
- Greencomb Spider-orchid (Caladenia tensa)
- Candy Spider-orchid (Caladenia versicolor)
- Yellow-lip Spider-orchid (Caladenia xanthochila)
- Wimmera Bottlebrush (Callistemon wimmerensis)
- Grampians Bitter-pea (Daviesia laevis)
- Matted Flax-lily (Dianella amoena)
- Bell Flower Hyacinth Orchid (Dipodium campanulatum)
- Trailing Hop-bush (Dodonaea procumbens)
- a spike rush (Eleocharis obicis)
- Austral Pipewort (Eriocaulon australasicum)
- Purple Eyebright (Euphrasia collina subsp. muelleri)
- Clover Glycine (Glycine latrobeana)
- Dergholm Guinea-flower (Hibbertia humifusa subsp. debilis)
- Adamson's Blown-grass (Lachnagrostis adamsonii)
- Basalt Pepper-cress (Lepidium hyssopifolium)
- Winged Pepper-cress (Lepidium monoplocoides)
- Erect Pepper-cress (Lepidium pseudopapillosum)
- Hoary Sunray (Leucochrysum albicans subsp. tricolor)
- Chariot Wheels (Maireana cheelii)
- Ridged Water-milfoil (Myriophyllum porcatum)
- Lowan Phebalium (Phebalium lowanense)
- Grampians Rice-flower (Pimelea pagophila)
- Wimmera Rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens subsp. pubiflora)
- Plains Rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens subsp. spinescens)
- Dense Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum spicatum)
- Fragrant Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum suaveolens)
- Pomonal Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum subbisectum)
- Sturdy Leek-orchid (Prasophyllum validum)
- Floodplain Rustyhood (Pterostylis cheraphila)
- Green-striped Greenhood (Pterostylis chlorogramma)
- Lowly Greenhood (Pterostylis despectans)
- Swamp Greenhood (Pterostylis tenuissima)
- Robust Greenhood (Pterostylis valida)
- Desert Greenhood (Pterostylis xerophila)
- Williamsons Bush-pea (Pultenaea williamsoniana)
- Button Wrinklewort (Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides)
- Turnip Copperburr (Sclerolaena napiformis)
- Stiff Groundsel (Senecio behrianus)
- Large-fruit Fireweed (Senecio macrocarpus)
- Swamp Fireweed (Senecio psilocarpus)
- Grampians Globe-pea (Sphaerolobium acanthos)
- Forked Spyridium (Spyridium furculentum)
- Annual Stackhousia (Stackhousia annua)
- Slender Darling-pea (Swainsona murrayana)
- Red Darling-pea (Swainsona plagiotropis)
- Yellow Swainson-pea (Swainsona pyrophila)
- Bead Glasswort (Tecticornia flabelliformis)
- Metallic Sun-orchid (Thelymitra epipactoides)
- Brilliant Sun-orchid (Thelymitra mackibbinii)
- Spiral Sun-orchid (Thelymitra matthewsii)
- Dwarf Yellow-heads (Trichanthodium baracchianum)
- Whipstick Westringia (Westringia crassifolia)
- Swamp Everlasting (Xerochrysum palustre)
You are in federal electorate Mallee.