Night Parrot

The Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis) is arguably the most enigmatic bird in Australia — and one of the most elusive in the world. For much of the 20th century, it was believed to be extinct or functionally so. A handful of museum specimens existed, but there had been no confirmed live sightings for over 100 years. Then in 2013, naturalist John Young photographed a live bird in southwestern Queensland, and the Night Parrot was back.

The species is nocturnal, secretive, and lives in some of Australia's most remote spinifex grasslands and samphire flats — vast, harsh country that discourages casual survey work. Its call was unknown until 2017. It feeds on grass seeds at night, spending the day hidden deep inside prickly spinifex clumps where it is essentially invisible. Even with modern playback equipment, camera traps, and eDNA techniques, encounters remain exceedingly rare.

Following Young's discovery, Queensland's state government created the Pullen Pullen Reserve in the Diamantina region — a dedicated sanctuary protecting Night Parrot habitat from feral cats and livestock grazing. Steve Murphy and his research team have conducted the most intensive survey work, radio-tagging several birds and learning the species' behaviour for the first time. Western Australia has also produced confirmed records, suggesting a fragmented but more widespread remnant population than previously thought.

The Night Parrot's conservation challenge is formidable: it occupies remote, inaccessible country; feral cats are its primary predator; and its nocturnal, cryptic habits make monitoring difficult. But it is not extinct. For serious twitchers and birders, a confirmed sighting remains among the most meaningful experiences available in Australian wildlife.