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The Crimson Rosella

© Fred J. Kane

The Crimson Rosella, Platycercus elegans

When first seen most people would describe the Crimson Rosella as a parrot. To a certain extent they are not wrong as the Rosellas belong to the parrot family.

The Crimson Rosella inhabits the forests and woodlands and has a large population in Eastern Australia from Cape York to Tasmania. In the upper section of Australia from Kimberley to Queensland boundary, the population is healthy. In the state of North Queensland it is an uncommon resident of the interior rain forests. The Crimson Rosella also lives in New Zealand because of people introducing the bird there. Birders regularly observe small flocks of Rosellas around Chambers Wildlife Rain Forest.

In the northern habitat there is little difference between adult and immature coloring. In Australia down under they inhabit the timberland in the high flat lands near the seacoast. The Crimson Rosella has taken up residence on the edges of towns, villages and cities where they find heavily wooded areas. If the woodlands are sparse they will ignore the area. In the city of Wellington, some birds escaped from their cages and live in park lands, preserves and the outskirts where they found excellent tree growth. They are now a common sight around Wellington and Eketahuna. Birders often see the Crimson Rosella in New South Wales and Victoria and some birds in a small area in Northern Queensland.

The Rosella has a crimson head, neck and chest with a light white colored cheeks that are utterly exceptional. The female is a little faded in color and has bulkier plumage. There is little difference between the young and adult plumage. Yet, there is some color differences in the southern Rosella populations. The gorgeous Crimson Rosella is the most impressive birds of this species. Many color varieties of the birds exist along the Eastern seashore and in some areas of interior Australia.

Their diet consists mainly of seeds that they get from a variety of plants. Crimson Rosellas obtain their food from grasses and shrubs. They also dine on the fruits, seeds, nuts, seeds of flowers, seeds and buds of small limbs, nectar and a variety of bugs. Some Rosellas have become pests to farmers as they eat large amounts of grain crops and orchard fruits.

Rosellas including the Crimson Rosella form permanent partnerships and stay in close contact all year long. These mating birds and their offsprings can form small family groups. Where they are abundant, the mature birds stay as a couple or join up with other adults. In the fall and snow covered months the young birds group up into small flocks.