1887 Extinct Australian Paradise Parrot
by Science Photo Library
Title
1887 Extinct Australian Paradise Parrot
Artist
Science Photo Library
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Beautiful or Paradise Parrot from W. T. Greene Parrots In Captivity, George Bell and Sons, 1884 - 1887. Wood engraving by Benjamin Fawcett after drawings by A.F. Lydon. Even by parrot standards, the paradise parrot (Psephotus pulcherrimus) was a remarkably bright and varied coloured bird. It ate seeds, particularly grass seeds, and was found across the Queensland - New South Wales border area of eastern Australia. Once moderately common within its fairly restricted range, the last live bird was seen in 1927. The reasons for its extinction are unknown but probably include human habitat changes, hunting and predation by introduced mammals. Paradise parrots lived in small family groups and made nests in termite mounds and similar places. Foraging and nesting at near ground level may have made them particulalry suseptible to nest predation.
Uploaded
July 28th, 2016
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