What absolutely, amazingly, remarkably beautiful parrots – shivers of loveliness.
Their colours are glorious. Mallee Ringnecks are a sub-species of the Australian Ringneck and to my mind the prettiest of the four sub-species.
The male is perched at the top of the branch. His shoulder is a deeper blue and he lacks the brownish-olive mantle of the female that is perched to his left. The greens, blues and turquoises are stunning, right to the tips of their tails.
All four of the Australian Ringneck species have distinct yellow collars. The Port Lincoln Parrot and the Twenty-eight both have black heads, while the Clonclurry Parrot is a paler version of the Mallee without the Mallee’s red frontal band.
I photographed these ringnecks at Gluepot Reserve. Their range is quite extensive and includes arid, inland areas of South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and north-western Victoria. They feed on seeds, fruits, flowers and some insects. I usually see them feeding on the ground or in low shrubs like eremophila.
I have been away from home for much longer than expected due to others in the house continuing to test positive for the dreaded lurgy and I’m concerned that I won’t have time to create a calendar for next year. I’m especially sad as I have many exquisite photographs ready to print. On a brighter note, I’m incredibly grateful to my fellow photographer and amazing friend, Carol, for making me so welcome at her home. My reverse lockdown experience was a pretty fabulous experience.
Happy birding, Kim
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