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.

Parkes has or used to have 40 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