THE S.A,' ORNITHOLOGIST 3 THE DISTRffiUTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN PSITTACINES (Order PSITTACIFORMES: , Cockatoos, etc.)

by ALAN LENDON, This paper is the culmination of many east-central and of the Paradise years of documentation of personal obser- in the vicinity of the Mitchell River. vations and of published records especially those in The Emu and The South' Australian ORDER: PSITTACIFORMES: PARROTS, Ornithologist, of the distribution of the Aus­ COCKATOOS, ETC. tralian members of the order Psittaciformes. FAMILY TRICHOGLOSSIDAE: LORIKEETS An attempt has been made to collate this in­ 254 TRICHOGLOSSUS MOLUCCANUS formation with the records of the specimens RAINBOW (BLUE MOUNTAIN) LORIKEET in the various Australian Museums, thanks Checklist distribution-E.A.,- S.A., T. to the courtesy of their Directors, and with Eastern Australia is best divided into the communicated observations of numerous States. In Queensland, there are records field workers, far too numerous to mention from some Torres Strait islands and from individually. Great reliance has been placed all of Cape York Peninsula and thence down on the various regional textbooks of Aus­ the whole of eastern Queensland without ever tralian , particularly Birds of Western going much further west than the limits of Australia by Serventy and WhitteIl, Tasma­ the Great Dividing Range. It is appreciated nian Birds by Sharland, A H andlist of the that there is considerable overlap of the range Birds of by Wheeler, A Handlist of of this and the next at the base of the Birds of by McGill, Cape York Peninsula. List of Northern Territory Birds by Storr, and In New South Wales, the recorded distri­ the papers appearing in The South Australian bution is again limited to the Great Dividing Ornithologist by Terrill and Rix and by Range and to the east thereof and but rarely Condon. to the west whilst in Victoria, the only notable * The R.A.O.V. Checklist, 2nd edition, exception is the absence from the whole of 1926, prior to its various amendments, has the north-western corner and indeed from been taken as the basis upon which to work. much of the northern half of the State. . The distribution of each species, as therein In South Australia, it appears to be pre­ recorded, has been quoted, corrected when dominantly found in the south-east and the necessary and in most instances amplified Mount Lofty Ranges with northern-most considerably. It is probable that many state­ recordings at Sutherlands and Melrose in the ments made will be inaccurate in some re­ southern Flinders Range and with further spects and the author hopes that readers will extensions to Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo not hesitate to inform him of mistakes in Island and southern Eyre Peninsula. distribution and of extensions of range. Many According to Sharland, it is a rare visitor of the older records have been ignored when to . there is no confirmation of the continued 255 TRICHOGLOSSUS RUBRITORQUIS existence of the species in the area concerned: RED-COLLARED LORIKEET notable amongst these being Gilbert's records Checklist distribution - N.W.A. (Kimber­ of the occurrence of the Turquoise Parrot in ley), N.T. N.W.A. (Kimberley) implies the whole of * Because of the nature of this paper, the the Kimberley division of nomenclature used has, at the author's request, been that of The Official Checklist .of the Birds and the records extend as far west as Broome. of Australia. 2nd Edn., 1926. Changes in the Northern Territory records cover the whole Checklist affecting this group may be found in of 'The Top End' and are all north of the Supplements I, 2, 4, 6 and 8, published in The sixteenth parallel of latitude from Port Keats Emu, vol, 41 (1941), 87-88; vol. 41 (1941), 213; vol. 46 (1946). 70; vel, 50 (1950), 187-190; and in the west through Daly Waters on the vol. 60 (1960), 140-145 respectively. - Stuart Highway to Borroloola on the Me- 4 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST

Arthur River in the east and include Melville east thereof; there being relatively few occur­ and Groote Islands. rences to the west of the range. In Victoria, The Checklist makes no mention of the it appears to- 'occur practically everywhere Queensland records which extend along the from east to west, including the north-west Gulf Country from the lower Gregory River corner on occasions. In South Australia, it and Burketown in the west to Normanton occurs throughout the south-east, on Kan­ and Georgetown at the base of Cape York garoo Island, in the Mount Lofty Ranges Peninsula. 'and as far north as Orroroo and along the Murray eastward from Morgan to the border. 256 TRICHOGLOSSUS (EUTELIPSITTA)' There are also a' few records from southern CHLOROLEPIDOTUS Eyre Peninsula. In Tasmania, it is plentiful SCALY-BREASTED LORIKEET and widely distributed. Checklist distribution - N.Q., E.Q., E.N.S.W. ' - 259· GLOSSOPSITTA The Queensland distribution is best am­ PORPHYROCEPHALA plified by stating that it occurs as far north PURPLE-CROWNED LORIKEET. as Cooktown and then follows the coastal Checklist distribution-s-Southern Australia. belt down to the New South Wales border. Eastern New South Wales should read north­ , The foregoing is most uninformative. In eastern New South Wales, east of the Divid­ Western Australia, where it is the only lori­ ing' Range; according to Hindwood (pers. keet, other than in the Kimberley division, comm.) it is always around Sydney but is it IS found in the south and south-west, south comparatively rare and this is apparently its of the mulga-eucalypt line and in the Great southern limit. Recent sightings in the vici­ Victoria Desert and along the coastal mallee nity of Melbourne are almost certainly the fringe to Eucla when the eucalypts are in result of accidental liberations. flower. This latter probably implies a more or less continuous distribution across into 257 PSITTEUTELES VE;RSICOLOR South Australia, where it occurs from south­ ern Eyre Peninsula north to the Gawler VARIED LORIKEET Range. East of Spencer Gulf, there are Checktist distribution - Tropical N.A. records from Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo The foregoing requires considerable ampli­ Island and from most of the remainder of the fication. In Western Australia it occurs only south-eastern part of the State, north as far in the Kimberley Division and it does not as Wilmington in the lower Flinders Range. appear to have been recorded west of the In' Victoria, it is widely distributed, Fitzroy River. especially in the western part of the State In the Northern Territory, it is found but there is also a suspect record from Malla­ throughout 'The Top End,' the most south­ coota. The New South Wales records are erly recordings being at Elliott on the Stuart few and tar between and mainly southern Highway. viz. Euston, Rand, Albury and Bega. In North Queensland it has been recorded from much of the northern and western part 260 GLOSSOPSITTA PUSILLA of Cape York Peninsula and further west as far south as Richmond, Cloncurry and LITTLE'LORIKEET CamooweaI. Checklist distribution - E.A. (Cairns­ Vic.), S.A., T. 258 GLOSSOPSITTA CONCINNA The foregoing appears to be reasonably MUSK LORIKEET accurate but bears elaboration. Checklist distribution - S.Q. - V. Queensland records extend as far north as S.A.; T. . Cairns and are all from the coastal strip The foregoing is reasonably adequate. In and dividing range. Queensland, there are relatively few record­ Those from New South Wales extend ings, all being from the south-eastern corner from the north to the south of the State of the State. but there appear to be few from further In New South Wales, rnostrecordings are inland than the western slopes of the Great from the Great Dividing Range or to the Dividing Range. THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST

In Victoria, the species is widely distributed 264 CALYPTORHYNCHUS BANKSI but there are no certain records from the RED-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO north-west corner. Checklist distribution-A., King 1. In South Australia, it is commonest in the south-east, with occasional sightings in the The distribution, although adrriittedly very Mount Lofty Ranges and on the Adelaide wide-spread, is not nearly as extensive as im­ Plains. The northernmost recording is from plied above, particularly as regards the Sutherlands, and westernmost from Yorke southern part of the Continent. Peninsula. Serventy and Whittell state. "This species In Tasmania, it appears to be relatively is distributed throughout the State, but is now uncommon. rare in the south-west." Published records, however, show that the small race stellatus FAMILY OPOPSITTIDAE: FIG-PARROTS (= naso) occurs from the extreme south­ 261 OPOPSITTA COXENI west as far north as the Murchison River. RED-FACED LORILET Thereafter there appear to be no records Checklist distribution-S.E.Q., N.E.N.S.W. whatever until the vicinity of Broome is reached and it then occurs eastward through­ Records of this species, which are remark­ out the Kimberley division. In the Northern ably few, do not alter the above with the Territory the species is widely distributed exception of one from Blackall in central throughout "the Top End" and also in Cen­ Queensland. The southernmost record is tral Australia and it seems probable that that [rpm the MacIeay River. fitzroyi of the north-west and samueli of the 262 OPOPSITTA LEADBEATERI centre are confluerit with and indistinguish­ able from macrorhynchus qf the Northern BLUE-FACED LORILET Territory. In Queensland, again the species Checklist distribution-N.Q. is widely distributed, being continuous with The foregoing requires elaboration as it is both the northern and central populations. far too vague. All records suggest that the The range includes Cape York Peninsula species is confined to an area bounded by but it is probably absent, according to Mack Cairns in the north and Cardwell in the (pers. comm.) from south-eastern Queens­ south.. land, although it occurs at Gayndah on the Burnett River. It is almost certain that the - OPOPSITTA DIOPHTHALMA race northi is invalid. In New South Wales, DOUBLE-EYED LORILET the species is widely spread throughout the Checklist distribution-not given as not north-western portion of the State, extending described by Marshall until 1946. Its range down the Darling as far as Menindee. is probably limited to the eastern side of Coastal records are few and far between, e.g., Cape York Peninsula from the Claudie River Macleay River, Williams River, Illawarra south to Princess Charlotte Bay. A record of and Australian Capital Territory and none of leadbeateri from the Jardine River seems these are recent. Suspicions must always likely to be referable to this species. exist in regard to mistaken identification of the Glossy Black Cockatoo. FAMILY: KAKATOEIDAE: COCKATOOS In Victoria, there is a small distinct but 263 PROBOSCIGER ATERRIMUS unnamed population occuring over the wes­ PALM-COCKATOO tern part of the western district and trans- Checklist distribution-Aru. Is., N.G., " gressing into parts of the south-east of South N.Q., C. York district only. Australia. The record from Mallacoota has been shown to be erroneous; the skins col­ The description "Cape York district only" lected at the R.A.O.U. camp-out there having is rather indefinite and can be expressed more been examined and found to be examples of explicitly as from the extreme tip of Cape the Glossy Black Cockatoo. York Peninsula and extending, according to Thomson, as far south as Massey Creek at The record from King Island has not been the northern end of Princess Charlotte Bay traced but there seems little doubt that the on. the east coast and to the Pennefather species no longer exists there, if in fact it River on the west coast. ever did. 6 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 265 CALYPTORHYNCHUS through the south-east and through the Coo­ (HARRISORNIS) LATHAM! rong into the Mount Lofty Ranges. It is plentiful on Kangaroo Island and is also, GLOSSY BLACK COCKATOO rather surprisingly, found on southern Eyre Checklist distribution - C.Q. - Vic. ­ Peninsula. S.A. (Kangaroo 1.). In Tasmania, it is widely spread and also There are surprisingly few records of the occurs in King, Flinders and Cape Barren occurrence of this species but they conform Islands. substantially with the above. In Queensland, the northernmost records 268 CALLOCEPHALON FlMBRIATUM are from Yeppoon and Duaringa. Reliable GANG-GANG COCKATOO recent ones are from Gympie, Condamine Checklist distribution-N.S.W., Vic., T., River and Toowoomba and Warwick districts. King I., S.A. In New South Wales records are from In New South Wales, this species probably Tenterfield, Bellinger and Macleay Rivers, does not occur north of the Hawkesbury Cobbora, Dubbo, Barrington and Leeton, River and the Blue Mountains (Lithgow whilst in Victoria, it certainly occurs at Mal­ area) but is widely spread throughout the lacoota and has been recorded from Strath­ mountainous parts of the south-east of the bogie· and Wangaratta. State. In South Australia, there is a small isolat­ In Victoria it occurs throughout the State ed population on Kangaroo Island and speci­ with the exception of the north western and mens were seen (and taken) in the southern mid northern portions but is much more plen­ Mount Lofty Ranges towards the end of the tiful in the eastern than in the western part; last century. it occasionally transgresses the border into the 266 CALYPTORHYNCHUS (ZANDA) south-east of South Australia. BAUDINI The King Island records almost certainly belong to a past era before the island was WHlTE-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO extensively cleared, whilst those from the Checklist distribution - S.W.A. - Mur­ north-west coast of Tasmania are almost chison R. certainly accidental. Serventy and Whittell state "confined to the south-west corner, from the lower Mur­ 269 KAKATOE GALERITA chison River to the eastward of Esperance WHITE COCKATOO (recorded to Mississippi Bay). It extends in- Checklist distribution-MoL, N.G., A., exc. land as far as Wongan Hills, Kellerberrin W.A. (S. of Fitzroy R.), King I., T. and Norseman." No extensions of this range The extralimital distribution is grossly in­ have been found and the validity of latiros­ correct, the cockatoos of the Moluccas being tris, said to be an inland race, seems rather K. alba and K. moluccensis which are not doubtful. closely related. 267 CALYPTORHYNCHUS (ZANDA) In New Guinea, the valid triton, FUNEREUS with a larger crest and pale blue periorbital skin, occurs and this closely resembles fitzroyi YELLOW-TAILED BLACK COCKATOO of the north-west and Northern Territory. Checklist distribution-C.Q.-V., S.A., King This subspecies occurs in Western Australia Is., T. only as far south and west as the Fitzroy The above can be elaborated considerably. River. In Queensland, apart from a record from In the Northern Territory, it is widely Duaringa, the northern limits appear to be distributed throughout "the Top End," in the vicinity of Gin Gin and Gympie. From coming as far south as latitude 16° in the this point, there is a relatively unbroken dis­ region of the McArthur River. tribution southward along the Great Dividing In Queensland, the species may be said Range throughout New South Wales into to occur in almost all localities, including eastern Victoria, where it extends throughout Cape York, the islands of the Barrier Reef most of that State, -with the exception of the and the far south-west; it is probably rela­ north-western and mid-northern portions. tively infrequent in the south-eastern corner In South Australia, it is widely spread of the State. THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 7

In New South Wales, it is again widely as far north as the Archer River on Cape distributed both on the western plains and, York Peninsula and is found throughout the to a lesser extent, to the east of the Divide. western portion of the State but apparently In Victoria it occurs throughout most does not transgress the Great Dividing Range. of the State, with the exception of the ex­ Similarly, in New South Wales it is con­ treme eastern portion. fined to the far western plains and in Vic­ In South Australia, it is found throughout toria it is restricted to the north-west comer the south-east, is scattered through the Mount of the State with a record from the You Lofty Ranges, follows the Murray Valley Yangs. and extends north at least as far as Wilming~ In South Australia, isolated populations ton. It also occurs on Kangaroo Island but occur as far south as Langhorne Creek and does not spread west of St. Vincent Gulf. Ashbourne. Proceeding north, it becomes In Tasmania, it is widely but unevenly more common and extends throughout the distributed and it also occurs on King- Island. north-eastern part of the State but is infre­ quently found to the west of Spencer Gulf 270 KAKATOE (LOPHOCHROA) and in the north-west of the State. LEADBEATERI In the Northern Territory, it is widespread PINK COCKATOO (MAJOR MITCHELL) from the South Australian border right up to "the Top End" and extending thence Checklist distribution-N.W.A., W.A., into and covering the whole of the north­ SA, into V:, N.S.W., Q. west of Western Australia reaching as far For Western Australia, Serventy and Whit­ south as a line drawn through Dongara, Mul­ tell state that the species avoids the south. lewa and Morawa. Here, it comes in con­ west comer, i.e., south and west of a line tact with and slightly overlaps the range of through Jurien Bay, Toodyay and thence to pastinator, formerly considered the western Esperance. This accords with records from race of tenuirostris, but better treated as a such places as Fitzroy River, Pilbara, Wiluna, well defined race of sanguinea. K.s. pasti­ Leonora, and east of Kalgoorlie. nator continues southward to roughly a line The Northern Territory, though not men­ from the coast at Jurien Bay through Danra­ tioned in the Checklist, yields records from ragan, Moora, Wongan Hills and Kalannie, Tanami, Central Mount Stuart, Macdonald with isolated populations surviving in the far Downs, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock road and south-west, most notably that in the vicinity Finke. of Lake Muir. In South Australia, it occurs almost every­ where north and west of Spencer Gulf and 272 KAKATOE (LICMETIS) the Flinders Ranges and also in the north­ TENUIROSTRIS east of the State as far south as the Murray CORELLA (LONG-BILLED COCKATOO) River between Morgan and the border and Checklist distribution - Sn.A., W.A. ­ also in the Murray Mallee. N.W.A. In Queensland it is confined to the south­ west comer, extending as far east as St. As noted under the preceding species, the George, whilst in New South Wales it is alleged distribution in the W.A.-N.W.A. is scattered over most of the western half of the accounted for by the relegation of pastinator State. (and derbyi) to a sub-species of sanguinea. In Victoria, it is confined to the north The true Corella has therefore a compara­ western comer, apart from occasional records tively restricted range in Southern Australia farther south. from the south-east of South Australia in the vicinity of Naracoorte and Penola across the 271 KAKATOE (DUCORPSlUS) border into its main stronghold in the westem SANGUINEA district of Victoria, extending as far east as LITTLE CORELLA Port Philip Bay on occasions. Although not mentioned in the Checklist the- species un­ (BARE-EYED COCKATOO) doubtedly occurs in New South' Wales, main­ Checklist distribution-N.A., C.A., N.W.A., ly in the Riverina district-e.g., between S.A., N.S.W. (int.). Mathoura and Koondrook, between Mou­ Commencing with Queensland (not men-. lamein and Deniliquin, at Euston and along tioned in the Checklist) the species extends the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers 8 THE·S',A.· ORNITHOLOGIST

There is also a surprising skin in the H. L. In Victoria, it is seldom recorded south or White collection from Byrock in northern east of the Wimmera, although there are re­ New South Wales. cords from the You Yangs, Terang, Cole­ raine, Skipton and Beaufort; it has not been 273 KAKATOE (EOLOPHUS) recorded from the extreme south-west or from ROSEICAPILLA Gippsland. GALAH (ROSE-BREASTED COCKATOO) In New South Wales it is rarely coastal, Checklist distribution-A. (more Inland), but widely distributed over the inland parts T.* of the State west of the Dividing Range. The foregoing is fairly comprehensive but In Queensland it is found in almost all the species is rapidly increasing its range and parts with still a preference for the inland tending to become more southern and more areas. Officer (pel's. comm.) observed it as coastal. . far north as Princess Charlotte Bay. In Western Australia, it occurs throughout In the Northern Territory it has been re­ the State except south and west of a line corded in all.parts.. through Dongara, Moora and Kellerberrin (Serventy and Whittell), though intrusions 275 LORIUS PECTORALIS beyond this line are not infrequently record­ RED-SIDED (ECLECTUS) PARROT ed. 'The Western Australian race is dis­ Checklist distribution - Am Ls., N.G., tinguished by its larger crest, which is of a N.Q. (Pascoe R. district). deeper pink shade than that of the eastern The Emitcd Australian distribution given birds. above is extended by Thomson to read "in In the Northern Territory and in South the Pascoe, Claudie, Lockhart, Hayes, Nesbit Australia it is widely distributed although in and Rocky Rivers and in the Massey Creek the latter State it has only come south in the districts-the last named is apparently its last thirty-five or forty years and is now southern limit." However, Austin has drama­ rapidly increasing in the south-east. tically extended its range by his observations In Victoria it has rapidly extended south­ in the vicinity of Lake Barrine (Emu, Vol. ward and eastward to cover most of the 56, pt. 1, p. 80). State, whilst in New South' Wales and Queensland it is widely distributed west of 276 GEOFFROYUS GEOFFROYI the Great Dividing Range and seems to be RED-CHEEKED PARROT spreading east of this in many places, though possibly to a lesser extent in Queensland than Checklist distribution - Timor - N.G., in New South Wales. It also occurs over N.Q. (Pascoe R. district). much of Cape York Peninsula. . As with the previous species, Thomson has It appears to have been introduced to recorded it as "numerous in its special and Tasmania in the Huon River district but restricted habitat in dense tropical jungles of with what success is uncertain. the Lockhart, Hayes, Nesbit and Rocky Rivers, but never seen in open forest." Mack FAMILY LORIIDAE: LORIES (in litt.) stated that it was confined to rain 274 LEPTOLOPHUS HOLLANDICUS forest north-east of Coen in the Iron Range COCKATIEL '(COCKATOO PARROT) and Peach River area. Forshaw states that Checklist distribution-A., T. (once).' "it is restricted to that area on the east coast Amplification of the foregoing would best of Cape York Peninsula bounded by the read Australia generally, mainly inland and Pascoe River in the north and the Rocky only occasionally coastal. . River in the south. It does not occur west the Dividing Range." In Western Australia it occurs "all over of the State except the south-west jarrah forest 277 POLYTELIS SWAINSONI area. Occasionally wandering birds pene­ trate as far as Bridgetown" according to SUPERB PARROT (GREEN LEEK) Serventy and Whjttell. . Checklist distribution-Riverina, Murray IIi South Australia it is widely distribut­ Basin, N.S.W., V. ed but there are only a few records from the Frith and Calaby (Emu 53, pt. 4, p. 327), south-east of the State, viz Kingston and have elaborated on the range of this species Penola. in New South Wales and others have ex- THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 9 tended it somewhat. It may be summarized the extreme south-west corner." There have as the Murrumbidgee River from Hay in the been recent records from Laverton Leonora west to the northern part of the Australian and 243 miles east of Norseman.' . Capital Territory in the east. To the north­ ward, it is unusual along the lower Lachlan 279 POLY}:EIJS (SPATHOPTERUS) River but is well known along the upper ALEXANDRAE reaches of the river, e.g., at Cowra. More PRINCESS PARROT r~cently, there have been surprising observa­ Checklist distribution-C.A.-W.A., N.W.A. nons as far north. as Gunnedah and Gilgan­ dra, although Keartland stated that it occur­ There have been so few observations of red on the Warrega and Condamine Rivers this species that its range is extremely dif­ much further northward. Southward in New ficult to determine as, like-many other desert South Wales there are records from the vici­ forms, it is presumably nomadic. nity of Mathoura, Deniliquin, Jerilderie and In Central Australia, the records are all Finley. In Victoria, all records apart from from places on or about the 24th parallel a few along the Murray Valley seem to be­ (Ellery Creek, Todd, Hugh and Hale Rivers) long to a past" era and include such places extending southward to places near the South as Wangaratta, Mooroopna, Black Rock, Pine Australian border (e.g., Tomkinson Ranges, Plains (in the mallee and therefore highly Finke, Abminga and Lambirina) and further suspectL Keilor and Yarra River. south to the vicinity of Alberga and Oodna­ datta. 278 POLYTEIJS ANTHOPEPLUS In Western Australia, Serventy and Whit­ REGENT PARROT (SMOKER) tell state "An inhabitant of the arid interior, Checklist distribution-Int. v., N.S.W., occurring north -almost to the Fitzroy River SA, W.A. and south to Wiluna, Sandstone and occa­ The :north-western corner of Victoria is sionally Menzies. It occurs eastwards presumably implied by the Checklist's Int. V. through the Great Victoria and Gibson as the records include the area west of Euston Deserts to the central Australian range coun­ and Lake Albacutya and thence towards the try." There is, however, a specimen in the South.. Australian border. Somewhat sur­ H. L. White collection from Coolgardie, prising is the Victorian record for Lake Boga which is still further south; the record from and even more so and very suspect are those Three Springs, not far from the coast, is dif­ for north-eastern Victoria which include ficult to accept. Wangaratta, Shepparton and Tatura. The For the Northern Territory, as distinct only New South Wales record discovered is from Central Australia, there is a record from that for Lake Victoria but there must surely Newcastle Waters. be other records for the far south-west of the 280 APROSMICTUS ERYTHROTERUS State in the vicinity of the River Murray. RED-WINGED PARROT The Victorian range is continued directly into South Australia, forming a roughly Checklist distribution - N.A., Q.-S.A., triangular area of which the corners are Ren­ N.S.W. - mark, Morgan and Pinnaroo; records of ex­ The Northern Australia above should read tensions southward are few and irregular. It north-western Australia and Northern Terri­ will be appreciated that this species, in the tory. This range, which extends as far west cast, has a relatively limited range, like the as Broome in the Kimberley Division of Wes­ previous one and they may be considered to tern Australia and over the whole of the be mutually exclusive. In Western Australia northern part of the Northern Territory (at there is a good subspecies (westralis) in least as far south as the latitude of Elliott which the males are more greenish-yellow and Newcastle Waters) is that of the sub­ than the eastern birds. It is a much com­ species coccineopterus which is smaller and moner in this part of its range. Ser­ has the red colouration more of a scarlet venty and Whittell give it as "the south-west shade rather than the crimson of the eastern portion of the State, north to Ajana, east birds. The typical bird extends over prac­ to the Kalgoorlie area, the Dundas district, tically the whole of Queensland from Cape Esperance and Israelite Bay. It does not York Peninsula to the New South Wales usually occur in the jarrah forest area and border, being only absent from some of the 10 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST east coast, especially in the south. It extends ward 'along the highlands and parts of the into the interior of northern New South western slopes of the Great Dividing Range Wales, where the vicinity of Oakwood may in New South Wales and throughout suitable be its eastern limit and reaches as far south habitat in most of Victoria, the north-western as Scone, Dunedoo and Narromine. It also comer being excepted. reaches the north-eastern comer of South South Australia, with the exception of Kan­ Australia and extends southward along the garoo Island, is not included in the Checklist eastern border as far as Mootooroo. The distribution and yet the species is plentiful Checklist makes no mention of the occur­ throughout much of the south-east of the rence of the species in the Merauke district State, extending as far north as Bordertown of West Irian. and as far west as the vicinity of Kingston. The subspecies melanoptera, occurring on 281 APROSMICTUS (ALISTERUS) Kangaroo Island, particularly at the western SCAPULARIS end, is not very common and is of doubtful KING PARROT validity. Checklist distribution - E.A., Cairns There seems little doubt that the species is, -Vic. or was, on and the authority The foregoing needs elaboration' and ex­ for its alleged introduction there is Salvadori. tension. Storr found the species at Helen­ The original authority for King Island is vale, near Cooktown, which extends the range not manifest but Courtney (in litt.) informs northward. From this point, it probably ex­ me that this is correct and that it is mainly tends along most of the high country of the found in the north-eastern comer of the Great Dividing Range, throughout Queens­ island. land, New South Wales and eastern Victoria and with occasional, rather surprising, exten­ 283 PLATYCERCUS ADELAIDAE sions down the western slopes, e.g., Blackall ADELAIDE ' (Queensland) and Bingara (New South Wales). One also suspects that there may Checklist distribution - S.A. Mt. Lofty be considerable gaps in parts of this range, and Flinders Ranzes. e.g., between Cardwell and the Eungella The above distribution does not call for Range west of Mackay and again between much discussion, the species extending con­ this area and the Tropic of Capricorn. tinuously, in suitable habitat, from Cape Jervis in the south to the vicinity of Bun­ In Victoria, there is a further extension garee, Clare and Burra in the north. The into the Otway Ranges. subspecies, fleuriensis is almost certainly un­ worthy of retention because pale birds occur 282 PLATYCERCUS ELEGANS frequently amongst the predominantly bright­ CRIMSON ROSELLA er coloured population of Fleurieu Peninsula. Checklist distribution - C. York - Vic. On the eastern limits of its range, the species - Kangaroo I., King I.• Norfolk 1. straggles down along some of the creeks to­ The implied continuous distribution from wards the River Murray where it meets P. Cape York to Victoria is almost certainly flaveolus - e.g., on the River Marne west incorrect. The well marked subspecies of Wongulla, but apparently does not inter­ nigrescens is recorded from such places as breed. The subspecies subadelaidae, which Cairns, Bellenden-Ker Range, Cardwell, Lake was confused with flaveolus by authorities in Barrine, Herberton, and Georgetown but is the past, occurs in the southern Flinders not documented as occurring farther north Range with a gap between its southern limit on Cape York proper. Moving southward, somewhere about Caltowie and Gladstone there is an apparently isolated population in and the northernmost typical adelaidae. The the Eungella Ranges west of Mackay and northern limit has not been accurately de­ the species is not encountered again until filled but it is probably the vicinity of War­ southem Queensland is reached where it ren Gorge and Patacoona. This race is cha­ occurs from such places as Nambour, Tam­ racterized by the paler colouration, especial­ borine Mountain, Cunningham's Gap and ly of the males, which superficially resemble the Macpherson Range. There would then P. flaveolus; in addition, the call note is ma­ appear to be an unbroken distribution south- terially different. THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGlS;T 11

284 PLATYCERCUS FLAVEOLUS South Wales but not south of the Clarence YELLOW ROSELLA River; from there it extends northward to Checklist distribution - Murray R. Valley Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville and (S.A., Vic., and N.S.W., int.). presumably it occurs between the coastal and The foregoing is broadly correct but re­ western limits wherever suitable habitat oc­ quires considerable elaboration. In South curs. Australia the southern limit is given as Man­ The strikingly different subspecies P. a. num, where Mathews' subspecies innomina­ adscitus, formerly designated cyanogenys or amathusiae, occurs from the extreme tip of tus, which is not accepted, was collected. It probably does not occur as far south as this Cape York over the whole peninsula as far south as Mareeba and probably to Cardwell; point at the present time; the southernmost recent record being on the Marne near Won­ Thomson states that it is well distributed over the Peninsula, particularly in the central gulla. From this point, it follows the Murray highlands. This range must then include Valley upstream at least as far as Albury. Keast's alleged isolate of the Cairns-Atherton In New South Wales it extends up the area, but further reference to his isolate of Darling as far as Pooncarie, along the the Bowen area has not been found. Murrumbidgee as far as Wagga and east­ ward from there as far as Tumut. It is widely distributed throughout most of the 287 PLATYCERCUS VENUSTUS Riverina and reaches as far as Booligal on NORTHERN RQSELLA the Lachlan. The distribution along the Checklist distribution - N.W.A., N.T. Victorian tributaries is not well documented The above distribution' is probably best but there are records for Wangaratta and elaborated as occupying the coastal belt of Lower Evert on the Ovens. up to three hundred miles in depth from the western end of the Kimberley division 2BS PLATYCERCUS CALEDONICUS of Western Australia (approximately longi­ tude 122°) across to the vicinity of the Checklist distribution - T., Is. of Bass Northern Territory - Queensland border Strait. , (approximately longitude 138°). On the The foregoing seems to be adequate as Stuart Highway it is recorded as far south there appears to be a generalized distribution as Katherine (latitude 15°) and eastward on over most of Tasmania as well as the larger the Queensland border (latitude 17"). How­ islands of Bass Strait. According to Court­ ever, Austin et al. have strikingly extended ney (in litt) it is very rare on King Island the range by observing the species through­ and occurs mainly in the south-eastern :part. out the Gulf country from the McArthur River to as far east as the Gilbert River 286 PLATYCERCUS ADSCITUS at the base of Cape York Peninsula. PALE-HEADED ROSELLA 288 PLATYCERCUS EXIMIUS Checklist distribution - Q., N.S.W. The foregoing requires considerable elabo­ ration. The well known race, which is the Checklist distribution - S.Q. - Vic. subspecies palliceps, extends as far south in S.A. (Adelaide Hills), T. inland New South Wales as a line about If the isolated pocket in the southern 100 miles south of the Queensland border, Mount Lofty Ranges, which may well be an starting at Inverell and running through De­ introduction as Ashby thought, be overlook­ lungra, Bingara, Warialda and Moree. From ed, the range in South Australia is the whole the Queensland border there is probably an of the south-eastern portion of the State unbroken distribution northward, the Wes­ coming as far north as Culburra and Salt ternmost recordings being successively Creek. To the east, it extends over most Charleville, Angathella, Blackall, Barcaldine of Victoria, although sparsely distributed in and Richmond; this corresponds roughly with the north-western corner and missing from the western slopes of the Great Dividing far eastern Gippsland, and thence into Range. How much farther north it extends southern and south-eastern New South Wales, along this line is undetermined. The species the limits on the west being roughly Euston, also occurs on the far north coast of New Hay, West Wyalong, Parkes and in the north, 12 THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST

Cobbora, Merriwa and Muswellbrook. About west of the Flinders Ranges and Spencer the 32nd parallel sees the quite sudden tran­ Gulf and that it avoids the high rainfall sition to the Golden-mantled race, P.e. cecilae areas of the Mount Lofty Ranges and the (=splendidus) of which Scone is the southern south-east of the State, where it extends as limit and the old New South Wales ­ far south as Kingston and about midway Queensland railway line the approximate between Keith and Naracoorte, western limit. This subspecies extends In Victoria it is confined to the north­ northward, being found on the Manning, Bel­ western portion, the southernmost recordings linger and Clarence Rivers, and thence into being Kaniva and Kerang. Queensland where it is recorded from Too­ woomba, Warwick and Cunningham's Gap. In New South Wales it occurs over most Its northernmost limit is uncertain although of the western two-thirds of the State, ex­ there are suggestions that it extends as far tending as far east as Garah, Warialda, and as Maryborough and Bundaberg: the speci­ Pilliga in the north and such places as Dubbo, men in the Queensland Museum from Gym­ West Wyalong and Temora in the central pie is definitely not cecilae and is presumably portion but apparently avoiding most of the a cagebird. Riverina in the south. In. Tasman.ia, the distinct subspecies die­ In Queensland, it is widely spread in the menensis is widespread and it is said to occur south-western corner being roughly enclosed also on King Island. by a line running through St. George, Mit­ chell, Angathella, Blackall and Windorah 289 PLATYCERCUS ICTEROTIS and becoming continuous with the South Australian population in the north-eastern Checklist distribution - S.W.A. corner of that State. Serventy and Whittell amplify the fore­ Records from Barcaldine and Longreach going by giving the range as being confined appear to be well beyond the accepted dis­ to the south-west corner, north to Moora and tribution and raise the possibility of an ex­ east to Wongan Hills, Moorine Rock (near tension of B. macgillivrayi in this direction Southern Cross) and the Dundas district. (q.v.), The inland form (xanthogenys) appears to 292 BARNARDIUS MACGILLIVRAYI be reasonably well defined but there does not CLONCURRY PARROT seem to be a well defined boundary between it and the typical race. Checklist distribution - N.Q. (int.). The sparse records available suggest that 290 PURPUREICEPHALUS SPURIUS this species is confined to the Selwyn Range RED-CAPPED PARROT of north-western Queensland and to the Checklist distribution - S.W.A. creeks and rivers emerging therefrom. Bear­ ing this in mind, the distribution would be a The foregoing is amplified in Serventy and roughly diamond shaped area bounded by Whittell to read "Found in the south-west Burketown in the north, Camooweal to the corner north to Dandaragan, Gingin and west, Boulia to the south and Kynuna to Mooliabeenee and generally west of the Great the east, all records falling within the fore­ Southern Railway but in the south extending going boundaries. eastward to Lake Grace ('rare) and along the coast to Esperance." The writer has not 293 BARNARDIUS SEMITORQUATUS been able to find any records which extend TWENTY-EIGHT PARROT the foregoing range. Checklist distribution - S.W.A., (Albany 291 BARNARDIUS BARNARDI to Perth). RINGNECK (MALLEE) PARROT Serventy and Whittell elaborate the above Checklist distribution - S.A., N.W. Vic., to read "In the wetter areas of the south­ the all-green form with a N.S.W., S.Q. (int.). west corner occurs prominent red forehead. Almost all birds The foregoing can be elaborated consider­ south-west of a line from, just north of Perth, ably. through the Darling Range country to just In South Australia the range is best de­ west of Albany belong to this colour type." fined by saying that the species does not occur To the east of this line and occupying most 'I'H~ S.A. ORNITHOLOG1S'i' 13 of the Wheatbelt, there occurs a popu­ as far as the north-eastern corner where the lation which comprises various stages inter­ pale, bluish race, coeruleus, occurs. However, mediate between the true semitorquatus and the species does not occur west of Spencer B. zonarius (q.v.). Gulf and the Flinders Range. 294 BARNARDIUS ZONARIUS 296 PSEPHOTUS VARIUS PORT LINCOLN PARROT Checklist distribution - S.A. (Spencer Checklist distribution - Inland S.Q. Gulf) - C.A. - W.A. (Murchison R.), Vic. - W.A., C.A. N.W.A. The foregoing is by no means precise As can be seen from the foregoing, this enough. The records for inland south species has an extremely wide range. Queensland are few and far between; the In South Australia it occurs over prac­ only ones that I have been able to obtain tically all of the western two-thirds of the are those for Quilpie, Charleville and Moonie State - i.e. over the whole of Eyre Penin­ River. sula and the West Coast and everywhere In New South Wales it is entirely a bird that suitable habitat occurs west of the of the western two-thirds of the State; not Flinders Ranges and the north-south railway reaching the western slopes of the Great Di­ line. Similarly, in the Northern Territory, viding Range: the easternmost records that it has been recorded as far north as Banka I have obtained are from Collarene in the Banka and in many areas to the west of the north and Griffith in the south. Stuart Highway. In Victoria it is confined to the'north­ ; In Western Australia it is extremely wide­ western corner of the State with an extension spread and is presumably continued from the as far south as Ararat and an extremely South Australian population westward as far doubtful. record from Wangaratta to the as a line running from Moora, through Goo­ east. maIling, Wickepin and Nyabing, (Serventy In South Australia, it is extremely widely and Whittell). West of this line, the hybrid dictributed avoiding only the high rainfall population of the Wheatbelt, mentioned areas of the Mount Lofty Ranges and the under B. semitorquaius, is encountered. Else­ south-east, and extending to the far north­ where in Western Australia, B. zonarius is east of' the State, in continuity with the New probably indistinguishable from the birds oc­ South Wales and Queensland populations curring on Eyre Peninsula or in Central Aus­ and also into the far north-west. This range tralia with the exception of the northernmost continues on into Central Australia where the pale race (occidentalis) which occurs as far northernmost recordings are from Macdonald north as the Pilbara district. Downs and Missionary Plain. Similarly, there is a continuous distribution from the 295 PSEPHOTUS HAEMATONOTUS western parts of South Australia on into RED-BACKED PARROT Western Australia, where again it is widely Checklist distribution - S.W.Q., N.S.W., spread, extending, according to Serventy and Vic., S.A. Whittell north to the Pilbara district and The foregoing is reasonably accurate but is again avoiding only the higher rainfall area capable of some amplification. of the south-west, i.e., west and south of a In south-western Queensland, there are re­ line joining Moora, Grass Valley, Quairading, cordings as far north as Charleville, Quilpie, Kweda and Dundas. and Toowoomba. 297 PSEPHOTUS (NORTHlELLA) In New South Wales, the species can be HAEMATOGASTER said to occur almost everywhere with the possible exception of some of the northern BLUE BONNET part of the coastal strip to which it appears Checklist distribution: - Inland. S.Q. to' be extending. Vic., S.A. In Victoria it is present over most, if not In South Australia, the yellow vented ra~e all, of the State but is rare in Gippsland. of this species extends as far west as Kin­ In South Australia, it occurs over most goonya on the tram-Continental railway and ofrthe eastern portion of the State, extending Kimba on Eyre Peninsula. From these 14 THE S.A. ORNITHOtOGIS'l'

limits, it extends over most of the north­ 299 PSEPHOTUS () eastern parts of the State, reaching as far PULCHERRIMUS north as Innamincka and south as far as Two PARADISE PARROT Wells and Wellington East. It is widely Checklist distribution - Q. (approaching spread through the Murray Mallee and on extinction) . into Victoria where it occurs throughout the north-western corner of the State and the Perusal of available records suggests a Wimmera and as far to the east as Bendigo former distribution from the Nogoa River and Rochester. (lat. 23") in central Queensland southward along a strip roughly one hundred miles wide Similarly there is a direct spread eastwards to the Queensland-New South Wales border into western New South Wales to the Rive­ and thence into north-eastern New South rina in the south and up through central Wales as far south as the vicinity of Inverell New South Wales into south-western Queens­ to the west and Casino to the east. The land as far north as Nappamerrie, Bulloo, forecast in 1926 of approaching extinction Quilpie, Eulo and Cunnemulla. To the may well have become a fact. north-east of this range, with a rather narrow 300 PSEPHOTUS (PSEPHOTELLUSj zone of intermediate forms in the vicinity of Barellan and Rankin's Springs, there occurs CHRYSOPTERYGIUS the strikingly distinct red-vented subspecies GOLDEN-WINGED PARROT which is recorded from St. George in southern Checklist distribution - N.Q. (Normanton Queensland down through Moree, Garah, -- Watson R). Warialda, Cobbora, Wellington and West Available records suggest that the foregoing Wyalong to Grenfell. is reasonably accurate; there may well be seasonal movements within Cape York Penin­ sula. It seems unlikely that the species 298 PSEPHOTUS (NORTHIELLA) occurs north of 13° or on the eastern side south of about 15°. NARETHAE 301 PSEPHOTUS (PSEPHOTELLUS) LITTLE BLUE BONNET DISSIMIIJS Checklist distribution - S.E. of W.A., HOODED PARROT about Trans-Continental railway. Checklist distribution - N.T. Serventy and Whittell state "a very The few records available suggest that restricted distribution in Western Australia this species has a very limited range in the being confined to the myall country that Northern Territory; nearly all records are fringes the north-western edge of the Nullar­ from the vicinity of Pine Creek and bor Plain. It has been proved to occur from Katherine but there are specimens taken at a point 20 miles west of Naretha to the Borroloola on the McArthur River, suggest­ myall belt 80 miles north of Loongara, a ing that there may be a more or less con­ zone some 180 miles in length and probably tinuous distribution between the two areas. not more than 20 miles in width. It may The R.A.O.U. Field-outing in July 1967 ob­ extend even further east but it does not served the species at the Elsey turnoff, the occur north in the mallee and mulga coun­ southernmost record. try of the Great Victoria Desert." More re­ 302 NEOPHEMA PULCHELLA cently it has been stated to extend much further west towards Kalgoorlie and also TURQUOISE PARROT south to about halfway between Cocklebiddy Checklist distribution - S.Q., N.S.W., and Rawlinna, and from Mundrabilla to Vic., S.A., extremely rare. Eucla. Ford (Emu Vol. 67, part 2, p. 122), The foregoing is in need of considerable has suggested a possible intergradation with revision. The only recent records from Ps. haematogaster on the eastern side of the southern Queensland that I have obtained Nullarbor Plain but specimens from Kin­ are those from Stanthorpe which is close to goonya (the westernmost recording) are the. New South Wales border, and from absolutely typical of the yellow-vented race Gayndah. As far as New South Wales is (xanthorrlious) . concerned, there is no doubt that the north- THE S·.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 15 eastern corner of the State is the stronghold vision in as much as no records from Queens­ of the species. Inverell, Narrabri and Bin­ land or from Victoria can be discovered gara being areas of comparatively frequent whilst in ~ew South Wales, the only reliable occurrence. Other records are from the outer comparatively recent ones are from the Bar­ western suburbs of Sydney, the Upper rier Range in the Broken Hill district. Hunter, Illawarra and Griffith districts. The In Western Australia, Ford has shown that only recent Victorian records are from Ben­ the species is widespread and common digo and East Gippsland and the surprising throughout the pastoral districts, i.e., between discovery of a small breeding population in the mulga-spinifex line to the north and the 1967 in the vicinity of Warby Range, near mulga-eucalypt line in the south. The range Benalla. possibly extends in continuity into South The South Australian record has long Australia, where it occurs between Lake Eyre since been rejected being due to faulty iden­ and the northern border of the State and tification of a female of N. splendida. westward to the Everard and Musgrave The statement 'extremely rare' is undoubt­ Ranges and in Central Australia, where it edly inaccurate if only in the light of the has been recorded from Finke, Ernabella, frequently occurrence of the species in cap­ Palm Valley and the vicinity of Alice Springs. tivity. Perhaps the present-day distribution The R.A.O.U. Field-outing in. 1967 observed would be best expressed as eastern, especial­ it as far north as the Devil's Marbles on the ly north-eastern, New South Wales and cen­ Stuart Highway. tral Victoria. 305 NEOPHEMA (NEONANODES) 303 NEOPHEMA S~LENDIDA CHRYSOGASTER SCARLET-CHESTED PARROT ORANGE-BREASTED PARROT Checklist distribution - Sn. A. (Moore R., W.A. - Darling R., N.S.W.), very rare. Checklist distribution - N.S.W., Vic., S.A., T. Serventy and Whittell give fairly numerous recent scattered recordings of the species in The present-day range of this rare species Western Australia, the westernmost being can be summarized as follows: between Pingelly and Corrigin and the South Australia from Outer Harbor area northernmost at Laverton. (with one record from the opposite side of In South Australia it is not infrequently St. Vincent Gulf) south and east along the recorded on the west coast and in the Gawler coast; coastal Victoria from the South Aus­ Ranges and more recently, large parties have tralian border to the western shores of Port been seen in the country north of the River Phillip Bay, King Island and Tasmania, Murray, between Morgan and the border, where it has been widely but sporadically North-west Victoria is given as an early re­ reported, mostly along the northern and wes­ cord, and a pair nested at Manya in 1941 tern coasts. The records from New South but I can find nothing recent to justify the Wales appear to relate to an isolated popula­ extension eastward in New South Wales to tion in the vicinity of Sydney about the turn the Darling River. Early records from Gil­ of the century. gandra and Lismore almost certainly refer to N. pulchella. The statement 'very rare' is 306 NEOPHEMA (NEONANODES) almost certainly due to the sparse settlement CHRYSOSTOMA of, and observation in the areas in which the BLUE-WINGED PARROT species occurs. A modern assessment of dis­ Checklist distribution -.N.S.W., Vic., S.A., tribution might well be given as inland Wes­ King Is., T., (coastal sandhills and interior). tern Australia south of latitude 29° and The distribution for New South Wales inland South Australia as far east as the New would appear to be the western and south­ South Wales border. western portion as far north as Broken Hill 304 NEOPHEMA (NEOPSEPHOTUS) and east to Deniliquin, with isolated obser­ BOURK! vations at Pilliga and Narran Lake. BOURKE PARROT In Victoria, there are records from almost Checklist distribution - Int. Q., N.S.W., the whole of the State, but it is probably V. - W.A., C.A. commonest in the south-west. The foregoing warrants considerable re- In South Australia, the species is plentiful 16 TIlR S.A. ORNrriIOLOGIST in the south-eastern portion of the State, ex­ appears to be unbroken right through to Wes­ tending as far north as the vicinity of Ade­ tern Australia wherever the coastline affords laide, and the Mount Mary Plains. Records suitable habitat. In Western Australia, Ser­ further north than this in South Australia .venty and Whittell express the distribution must be regarded as suspect and probably clearly by saying that it 'frequents coastal related to N. elegans. islands and mainland dunes and rocks (both On King Island and in Tasmania it is granite and limestone) from the Great Aus­ plentiful and widely distributed. It is not tralian Bight to Shark's Bay.' clear whether 'coastal sandhills and interior' 309 LATHAMUS DISCOLOR is intended to refer to Tasmania only. SWIFT PARROT Checklist distribution - T., S.E.A., Ade­ 307 NEOPHEMA (NEONANODES) laide - Dawson R.] E.C.Q. ELEGANS The excellent paper on this species (Emu ELEGANT PARROT Vol. 63, part 4, pp. 310-326), by Hindwood Checklist distribution - N.S.W., Vic. ­ and Sharland reaches the conclusion that the S.W.A. - N.W.A. species breeds in Tasmania and possibly in As suggested by McGill, the occurrence the islands of the Furneaux group and mi­ of this species in New South Wales is un­ grates to spend the winter in southern ana' certain and if it occurs, it is probably in the eastern Australia. western and south-western portions of the An amplification of the Checklist distribu­ State. In Victoria, the records again are tion should read: Tasmania and islands of fairly unsatisfactory and it would seem likely Furneaux group, but not recorded from King that those from the north-western corner of Island, mainly during spring and summer the State and the western district are the months. Migrates to the mainland where it most credible. is found principally in autumn and winter, In South Australia, it is rare, occurring as In South Australia, the species is wide­ far north as the Mount Mary Plains but spread, but avoids the south-east south of mainly in the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Coorong. It occurs in the lower north, south-east. In Victoria it is widespread but in the Flinders Range and further towards probably rarely occurs in the north-west and Marree and Lake Callabonna and is present in the adjacent south-west of New South also on Kangaroo Island. Wales. In the latter State, it is widespread In Western Australia, Serventy and Whit­ along the coast and Dividing Range with tell state 'Until recent years this parrot was occasional westerly records. Extensions to known only in the south-west corner, north northern New South Wales and Queensland to Moora and east to Merridin and near (as far north as Duaringa) are probably few Esperance. Formerly it was not found in the and far between. jarrah forest belt or the Swan coastal plain but since 1937 the species has been under­ 310 MELOPSITTACUS UNDULATUS going a cycle of expansion, radially in the BUDGERYGAH (SHELL PARROT) south-west and north to the pastoral coun­ try.' More recently there have been isolated Checklist distribution - A., occ. coastal recordings from as far north as the Gascoyne E.A. and S.W.A. and Fortescue Rivers. The foregoing probably implies that this highly nomadic species occurs in the interior 308 NEOPHEMA (NEONANODES) of Australia with occasional coastal irrup­ tions. In Western Australia, according to PETROPHILA Serventy and Whittell, it occurs 'all over the ROCK PARROT State except in the south-west jarrah forest Checklist distribution - S.A. - W.A. (St. area.' There are, however, occasional records Vincent G. - Shark Bay) (coast). of penetrations into this region. Storr states The foregoing is reasonably accurate but that in the Northern Territory it- ordinarily in South Australia should be extended in a occurs 'north to the lower Victoria and upper south-easterly direction as far as Baudin Roper but at height of dry season sometimes Rocks near Robe and to include Kangaroo may wander as far north as Pine Creek and Island. To the westward, the distribution in extreme droughts even to Darwin.' THE S.A. ORNITHOLOGIST 17

In South Australia it occurs throughout the 312 GEOPSITTACUS OCCIDENTALIS northern parts of the State and at irregular NIGHT PARROT intervals in the more southern parts: there Checklist distribution - Inland W.A., do not appear to be definite records from the S.A., C.A..extinct? south-east, although it seems likely that it reaches this area on occasions. There appears to be nothing that can pro­ In Victoria, it is recorded from all parts fitably be added to the above, as there are of the State with the exception of approxim­ no certain records of the species for many ately the eastern one-third and in New South years. Wilson in Emu (Vol. 37, part 2, pp. Wales it occurs over the whole of the interior 79-87), enumerated the history of the of the State but rarely transgresses the Divid­ species very fully. The occurrence of the ing Range. species in north-western Victoria has never been substantiated. In Queensland similarly it occurs over most of the interior of the State but rarely reaches the east coast; it does not appear to occur on Cape York Peninsula, north of 18° lati­ tude.

311 PEZOPORUS WALLICUS GROUND PARROT Checklist distribution - T., coastal Sn. A., Champion Bay, W.A. - Fraser 1., Q. The above implies a wide distribution which certainly no longer obtains. In Tasmania, the species is widely distri­ buted. On the mainland, the distribution is extremely patchy. There have been no fur­ ther recordings from Fraser Island since that of Chisholm and the only other Queensland record discovered is that in The Australian Bird Watcher, Vol. 3 (1967), p. 48. The author of this note, Mrs. Carole Bevege, has amplified this to me, stating that the species occurs in localised areas in coastal heathland from approximately 50 miles north of Bris­ bane to north-east of Gympie. In New South Wales there have been re­ cords from such widely separated places as Yamba on the north coast, Cape Hawke Peninsula, south of Sydney in the vicinity of Nowra and at Ulladulla. In Victoria it oc­ curs patchily along much of the coast with recordings from Mallacoota, Marlo, Wilson's Promontory, .westernport, Carlisle River, Port Campbell, Port Fairy, Nelson and just across the border to the vicinity of Port Macdonnell, which constitutes the only South Australian record for very many years. In Western Aus­ tralia, although it originally appears to have extended as far north as Geraldton, the only recordings in this century are from the south coast at such places as Cheyne Beach, Albany, Wilson's Inlet near Denmark, and Irwin Inlet.