Birds · Psittaciformes · Psittacidae

Australian Ringneck

Barnardius zonarius

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Australian ringneck or Port Lincoln parrot is a medium-sized Australian parrot with a black or green head depending on the subspecies, a yellow collar on the nape and a yellow or green belly. It is highly variable geographically and the different forms were long considered separate species. It has benefited from Australian dryland farming, although road deaths are a significant cause of mortality.

Weight

140 g – 190 g

Size

33 cm – 40 cm

Lifespan

20 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

Its geographical forms are so different that for decades they were treated as separate species, and even today some authors keep the division: there are black-headed populations and green-headed ones that hybridise where they meet.
It drinks at dawn and dusk at fixed watering points, a habit so predictable that the flocks are easy to find in the arid Australian interior.
It often feeds on the ground beside roads, taking grain spilled by lorries, which makes it one of the most frequently road-killed birds in Western Australia.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Eucalypt woodland, mallee scrub, farmland and riverside trees of inland and western Australia
Sexual maturity: 11.9 months
Gestation / incubation: 20 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 5 eggs

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnardius_zonarius