by Patricia Young

Created on: June 26, 2008

The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small grass parrot native to coastal south-eastern Australia. It is a brightly colored bird, with a grass green back and head, bright blue wings and a yellow breast with a vivid orange patch on its belly. It has a distinctive alarm call, quite different from other parrots. This parrot is a migratory bird that breeds only in south-west Tasmania then spends the winter months in Southern Victoria and South Australia before returning to Tasmania to breed again

The Orange-bellied Parrot is very rare and threatened with extinction on the same scale as the Giant Panda and the Siberian Tiger. The south-west tip of Tasmania is classified as a Wilderness World Heritage Area and the entire breeding population of this bird is contained here. This critically endangered species has only about 180 mature birds left in the wild. The pristine rainforest of Tasmania is perfect for breeding and nesting which usually occurs in the hollows of Eucalypt trees growing throughout the forest

Conservation and sustainable management of the Rainforest and the migratory habitats of Victoria and South Australia is vital to the preservation of the Orange-bellied Parrot

The Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust has invested $3.2 million dollars to increase the parrot's changes for recovery by protecting and expanding the habitat in all the areas the parrot uses during the year. This is the largest Australian Government monetary investment to save a threatened species.

The Trust is working with landholders in the parrot's Victorian and South Australian winter base, conserving breeding/nesting habitat at Melaleuca and Birch's Inlet in Tasmania's South-West Heritage area, improving important migratory habitat and controlling predators in North-West Tasmania and King Island. They are also working with the Department of Defense to conserve and manage key Orange-bellied Parrot habitat in Defense properties in the Port Phillip Bay area.

Wind farms, mining leases, and over-grazing of breeding and food-source areas are a major threat to the birds. The parrot is one of Australia's most vulnerable species to climate change, and the Government must get serious about global warming sooner rather than later to prolong this valuable species.

The Orange-bellied Parrot is one of only a very small number of migratory parrots in the world. A community awareness program would ensure the protection of this beautiful species. It would become the responsibility of every Australian to help this bird survive for future generations. It is clear that the future of the Orange-bellied Parrot depends on us doing much more to protect its habitat.

References:
www.parks.tas.gov.au/wildlife/bir ds/obp.html
Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Plan

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