Pezoporus is a genus of parrot endemic to Australia. It contains two species: the night parrot (P. occidentalis) and the ground parrot (P. wallicus) which is divided into three subspecies. The night parrot was previously separated in a distinct genus, Geopsittacus. The genus is part of the tribe Pezoporini and subfamily Platycercinae.

Pezoporus
vocalising ground parrot
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittaculidae
Tribe: Pezoporini
Genus: Pezoporus
Illiger, 1811
Type species
Psittacus formosus[1]
Latham, 1790
Species

Pezoporus occidentalis
Pezoporus wallicus

Species distributions:
  • Night parrot (P. occidentalis): light red = historical; red dots = recent sightings
  • Eastern ground parrot (P. w. wallicus): orange
  • Western ground parrot (P. w. flaviventris): yellow = historical; green = current
Synonyms

Geopsittacus

Species list

edit
  • Genus Pezoporus
Genus Pezoporus Illiger, 1811 – two species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Night parrot


Pezoporus occidentalis
(Gould, 1861)
recent sightings from Diamantina National Park, Pilbara region, Western Australia and Cloncurry, Queensland.[2]
 
Size: About 22–25 cm long. Predominantly a yellowish green, mottled with dark brown, blacks and yellows.

Habitat: Interior of Australia,[3]

Diet:
 CR 


[4]

Ground parrot

 

Pezoporus wallicus
(Kerr, 1792)

Three subspecies
  • P. w. flaviventris (North, 1911)
  • P. w. wallicus (Kerr, 1792)
  • P. w. leachi (Matthews 1912)
Coastal regions of south-eastern Australia and Tasmania[3] Size: About 30 cm long. Generally green plumage, with black and yellow marking. Narrow orange-red band to forehead. Underside of flight-feathers with pale yellow wing-stripe. Bill, cere and feet greyish brown.

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


[5]


References

edit
  1. ^ "Psittaculidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  2. ^ "Pezoporus occidentalis — Night Parrot". Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  3. ^ a b Forshaw, Joseph M.; Cooper, William T. (1981) [1973, 1978]. Parrots of the World (corrected second ed.). David & Charles, Newton Abbot, London. ISBN 0-7153-7698-5.
  4. ^ BirdLife International. (2022). "Pezoporus occidentalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T22685237A211825128. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T22685237A211825128.en. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  5. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Pezoporus wallicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22685226A93064751. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22685226A93064751.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.