Orange-bellied Parrot

The Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) is one of the rarest birds on Earth — and one of the most poignant conservation stories in Australia. An estimated fewer than 50 wild birds now survive, supplemented by a captive insurance population that actively supports wild recruitment through release programs.

The species breeds only in the remote buttongrass moorlands of southwest Tasmania, nesting in hollows of ancient eucalypts in an area around Melaleuca, a remote wilderness accessible only by light plane or multi-day bushwalk. After breeding, the entire wild population migrates across Bass Strait to winter on the salt marsh and coastal heathland of southern Victoria and South Australia — a crossing of over 250 km over open ocean.

Males are electric grass-green with a vivid orange belly patch framed by blue on the forehead and leading edge of the wing. Females are duller, with a paler orange belly that can be absent in immatures. In the field, birds are best located by their sharp, buzzy calls as they move low through saltmarsh vegetation.

Wintering birds can be found at a small number of reliable sites, most accessibly at Werribee Treatment Plant and Altona/Laverton coastal wetlands near Melbourne, and at Milang, Coorong, and Mount Compass in South Australia. Sightings are never guaranteed — finding this bird requires dedication, good site knowledge, and sometimes patience across multiple days.

Captive breeding at multiple zoos and wildlife centres across Australia has proven essential for the species' survival, and releases of captive-bred birds into the wild have helped maintain the wild population.