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Blue-winged Parrot (Neophema chrysostoma)

The Blue-winged Parrot is a small, partly migratory parrot of south-eastern Australia. It uses grasslands, grassy woodlands, wetlands, saltmarsh, heath and open agricultural areas, and may be affected by clearing, loss of hollow-bearing trees, grazing, fire and construction disturbance on development sites.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Vulnerable.

Queensland, Nature Conservation Act 1992: Vulnerable.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Vulnerable.

South Australia, National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972: Vulnerable.

Tasmania, Threatened Species Protection Act 1995: Vulnerable.

Breeding season

The species is present in Australia throughout the year, but many Tasmanian birds move to the mainland after breeding and return before the next breeding season. Timing varies between regions and some birds remain in Tasmania or on Bass Strait islands.

Month values are January to December: 0 not typical, 1 occurs, 2 peak. The breeding and movement periods are regional summaries, not a substitute for a site-specific assessment.

  • Breeding: Breeding is reported from October to February, with spring and summer breeding in Tasmania, southern Victoria and coastal south-eastern South Australia.
  • Breeding and dependent young: Eggs are incubated for about 20 days and nestlings remain for about 35 days. The main period of eggs and dependent young is within the October to February breeding season, with possible one to two broods.
  • Autumn migration from Tasmania: Many birds leave Tasmania in March to April, after congregating on saltmarshes and agricultural land. Some birds remain in Tasmania or on Bass Strait islands.
  • Mainland winter range: During autumn to early spring, birds occur in mainland areas including northern Victoria, eastern South Australia, south-western Queensland and western New South Wales. Some move more than 100 km inland.
  • Return to Tasmania: Many birds return from the mainland between August and October, although movement routes and the timing of individual birds are not fully understood.
  • Highest clearing risk: Clearing and major disturbance are most likely to harm the species from October to February because eggs, nestlings and dependent young may be present. September and March may also affect early breeding activity or late dependent young, and March to April may affect birds staging before migration.

Identification

The Blue-winged Parrot is a small, slender parrot that is usually detected by its bright green, yellow and blue plumage or its thin, high-pitched call. It often feeds on the ground, so observations may be brief and low to the ground.

Adults have an olive-green head and upper body, a pale green fore-neck, yellow underparts and a green-blue tail with yellow sides. A yellow facial patch extends towards the eye, a narrow dark blue band crosses the forehead, and a large dark blue patch covers the wings.

Size: Up to 24 cm long.

Weight: Less than 50 g in the Australian Government assessment; 55 g average in the BirdLife Australia profile.

  • The male is generally brighter, with stronger blue on the wings and forehead.
  • Females are slightly duller, with less prominent blue markings.
  • Juveniles resemble females and lack the frontal band.

Identification: Similar species

Compare the bird with Elegant Parrot and Orange-bellied Parrot when those species occur in the same region. The Blue-winged Parrot is distinguished by the greater amount of blue on its wings and by differences in the green plumage.

  • Record the extent and colour of the blue wing patch, the forehead band, the yellow facial patch and the amount of yellow on the underparts.
  • Use photographs, sound recordings and expert confirmation where identification is uncertain.

Identification: Field signs and calls

The call is an extremely high, thin tinkling sound, followed by slow bursts. It may sound more like the highest squeaks of a thornbill or fairy-wren than a typical parrot call.

  • Look for pairs or small parties feeding on or close to the ground in grass, herbs, paddocks, saltmarsh and open woodland.
  • Look for nests in tree hollows or stumps, preferably hollows with a vertical opening, containing a bed of decaying wood.
  • Tracks, scats, sloughs, burrows and eyeshine are not described in the supplied documents and should not be used as primary identification signs.

Distribution: National range

The species occurs across south-eastern Australia. Tasmania and Victoria contain the main breeding populations, while mainland winter records extend across several inland and coastal regions.

Breeding occurs in southern Victoria from Port Albert in Gippsland west to Nelson, sometimes in far south-eastern South Australia, and in north-western, central and eastern Tasmania. On the mainland, the breeding range is generally south of the Great Dividing Range.

During the non-breeding period, from autumn to early spring, birds occur in northern Victoria, eastern South Australia, south-western Queensland and western New South Wales. Some reach south-eastern New South Wales and eastern Victoria, particularly during the southern migration.

Extent of occurrence: About 170,000 km², with an estimated range of 155,000 to 190,000 km².

Area of occupancy: About 11,000 km², with an estimated range of 9,000 to 19,000 km².

  • State records and suitable habitat occur in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.
  • The species is also listed in the supplied project information as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act and in each of those five states.

Distribution: Strongholds and population units

The main populations are in Tasmania and Victoria, particularly southern Victoria and the Tasmanian midlands and eastern areas. Coastal south-eastern South Australia is also part of the breeding range, although breeding there is described as less regular.

Mature individuals: About 10,000 in the wild, with an estimated range of 7,500 to 15,000.

Recent trend: Reporting rates declined by 77% across northern Tasmania from 2008 to 2018 and by 75% across Tasmania between 2001 to 2005 and 2013 to 2017.

Victorian trend: Breeding-season reporting rates in southern Victoria declined by 59% for 2 ha, 20 minute surveys and by 26% for 500 m area searches from 2009 to 2019.

  • The Tasmanian and Victorian breeding subpopulations are assumed to be separate, although they may mix.
  • Most Tasmanian breeders migrate to the mainland for winter, while a small number remain in Tasmania.

Distribution: Movement between regions

The species is a partial migrant. Variable numbers cross Bass Strait in winter, apparently in a non-stop flight because records from Bass Strait islands are scarce. Detailed winter migration routes remain poorly understood.

  • Birds generally leave Tasmania in March to April and return in August to October.
  • Some birds overwinter in Tasmania or on Bass Strait islands.
  • Mainland winter movements can take birds more than 100 km inland.

Habitat: Habitat types

Blue-winged Parrots use open and semi-open habitats from coastal areas to semi-arid inland country. Habitat condition, ground-layer seed resources and access to suitable tree hollows are important considerations during site assessment.

The species favours grasslands and grassy woodlands, often near wetlands. It also uses coastal saltmarsh, rough pasture, semi-arid chenopod shrubland, sparse grassland, heath, dunes, orchards, farmland, airfields, golf courses and paddocks.

  • Assess wetland margins, saltmarsh, grassland, grassy woodland and open eucalypt woodland even where the site is partly modified.
  • Retain connected native vegetation and ground cover around feeding areas where practicable.
  • Treat recently disturbed areas as potentially important if they are likely to become suitable again after fire, grazing or other disturbance.

Habitat: Vegetation and structure

Breeding habitat includes eucalypt forests and woodlands in Tasmania, coastal south-eastern South Australia and southern Victoria. In Victoria, breeding has been recorded mainly in heathy forests and woodlands and in wetter forests soon after fire or logging.

  • Map live and dead hollow-bearing trees, standing stumps and woodland remnants before clearing.
  • Record the condition and continuity of native grasses, herbs, shrubs and wetland vegetation.
  • Include private land, travelling stock routes, reserves, state forests, state reserves and national parks in the regional habitat assessment.

Habitat: Climate and elevation

The supplied documents describe a distribution from coastal and sub-coastal areas through inland and semi-arid zones. They do not provide a confirmed upper elevation limit; one secondary profile describes use of habitats up to 1,200 m above sea level.

Elevation information: Up to 1,200 m above sea level is reported in the Birda profile; no elevation limit is provided in the Australian Government assessment.

  • Consider the species where suitable open habitat occurs across the documented coastal, inland and semi-arid range, rather than relying on elevation alone.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Blue-winged Parrots are mainly ground-feeding granivores. They forage in pairs or small parties and may use both native and modified ground layers.

The diet consists mainly of seeds from a wide range of native and introduced grasses, herbs and shrubs. Reported food plants include wallaby grass, silver hairgrass, pale sundew in Tasmania, Poa caespitosa and introduced capeweed on the mainland.

  • Inspect native grasslands, grassy woodland ground layers, saltmarsh, rough pasture, chenopod shrubland and sparse grassland for feeding habitat.
  • Assess introduced grass and herb cover as potential food habitat, while also checking whether weeds alter vegetation structure or increase fire risk.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour and range

Pairs or small parties forage mainly on or near the ground. Mobile flocks feed in coastal Victorian saltmarsh and rough pasture during winter, and birds can move more than 100 km inland to semi-arid feeding areas.

Recorded inland movement: More than 100 km inland during winter.

Typical group size: Pairs or small parties when foraging; flocks of up to 2,000 birds are reported before autumn migration in the secondary profile.

  • Search quietly along grassland edges, wetland margins, saltmarsh, paddocks and open woodland rather than only beneath tree canopies.
  • Record feeding flocks, direction of movement and links between feeding areas and nearby hollow-bearing woodland.
  • Before autumn migration, inspect Tasmanian saltmarsh and agricultural land because birds may congregate there before crossing Bass Strait.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding birds use eucalypt forest and woodland with suitable hollows in Tasmania, coastal south-eastern South Australia and southern Victoria. Breeding habitat can occur in wetter forest and heathy woodland, including some areas regenerating after fire or logging.

Blue-winged Parrots form monogamous pairs. The female incubates the eggs and leaves the nest at intervals to be fed by the male. Both parents feed the nestlings.

Breeding season: October to February in the BirdLife Australia profile; breeding occurs during spring and summer.

Clutch size: Usually 4 to 6 eggs.

Incubation: About 20 days.

Nestling period: About 35 days.

Broods: One to two broods per season are reported in the secondary profile.

Age at maturity: Not stated in the supplied documents.

Lifespan: Not stated in the supplied documents.

  • Avoid clearing or noisy work near known or potential nest hollows during the breeding period.
  • Check live trees, dead trees and stumps for suitable vertical-opening hollows before vegetation removal.
  • Where a nest is found, obtain advice from the relevant state wildlife authority or project ecologist before work proceeds.

Breeding habitat: Nest features

Nests are made in hollows, preferably with a vertical opening, in live or dead trees or stumps. Eggs are laid on decaying wood.

Nest site: Hollow in a live or dead tree or stump, preferably with a vertical opening.

Nest lining: Decaying wood.

  • Retain hollow-bearing trees and standing dead trees wherever practicable.
  • Assess isolated paddock trees as well as trees within woodland remnants because both may provide nest hollows.
  • Consider future hollow-bearing trees in restoration planning because the supplied conservation actions identify the long-term loss of hollows as a risk.

Sheltering habitat: Hollows and trees

The supplied documents identify tree hollows as the main shelter and nesting feature. They provide limited information about night roosts, refuge distances and hollow dimensions.

Live and dead trees and stumps with suitable hollows are important within the breeding range. Hollow availability may limit breeding, and competition for hollows is identified as a current or future threat.

Hollow dimensions: Not stated in the supplied documents.

Preferred opening: A vertical opening is preferred.

  • Map all hollow-bearing trees and stumps before clearing, including dead standing trees and isolated paddock trees.
  • Do not assume a tree is unimportant because it is dead, isolated or partly modified.
  • Protect trees with the potential to develop hollows as well as existing hollow-bearing trees.

Sheltering habitat: Ground and non-breeding refuges

During the non-breeding period, the species uses saltmarsh, rough pasture, grassland, chenopod shrubland, sparse grassland and wetland areas. The documents do not specify separate roost sites, refuge distances, burrows or night shelter structures.

  • Retain dense native ground cover, wetland edges and connected vegetation around known feeding areas where practicable.
  • Treat saltmarsh and agricultural land in Tasmania as potentially important staging habitat before autumn migration.
  • Do not rely on the absence of nests to exclude a site from assessment because birds may use it for feeding, staging or movement.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

For development projects, the main direct risks are loss and fragmentation of feeding or breeding habitat, removal of hollow-bearing trees, disturbance during breeding and impacts on ground-feeding birds. The national assessment also identifies grazing, weeds, fire, extreme weather, introduced predators, hollow competition and disease.

Clearing for agriculture and other development removes grassland, grassy woodland, wetland margins, saltmarsh and hollow-bearing trees. Fragmentation can reduce feeding resources, increase exposure to predators and limit recolonisation after disturbance.

  • Avoid clearing known or likely habitat, including recently disturbed areas that may become suitable again.
  • Retain hollow-bearing trees, dead trees, stumps, native ground cover and links between woodland remnants.
  • Map feeding, staging and breeding habitat before finalising access tracks, compounds, laydown areas and construction footprints.

Threats: Construction disturbance

Ground-feeding birds may be exposed to vehicle movements, plant activity and removal of cover during clearing. Breeding birds may be affected if work removes or disturbs nest trees between October and February.

  • Schedule vegetation clearing outside the main breeding period where practicable, and check for active nests before work.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher with relevant bird experience during approved clearing near suitable habitat.
  • Inspect grassland, saltmarsh, wetland margins and woodland edges, not only trees and shrubs.

Threats: Fire, grazing and weeds

Intensive livestock grazing can reduce native grasses, herbs and shrubs, compact soil, increase trampling and reduce seed availability. Inappropriate fire regimes can destroy seed banks, alter vegetation structure and reduce suitable ground-layer habitat. Weeds can alter habitat structure and may increase flammability.

  • Prevent intensive grazing in high-value grasslands and grassy woodlands where the project controls land management.
  • Use a site-based fire strategy that considers feeding habitat, breeding woodland and the risk of large high-intensity fires.
  • Control weeds using methods agreed with local authorities and avoid disturbing feeding habitat unnecessarily.

Threats: Predators, hollows and disease

Feral cats and mainland foxes may take birds because they feed on the ground. Sugar Glider predation of nests is suspected in Tasmania, although its effect on Blue-winged Parrots remains unproven. Competition for tree hollows may increase where hollow-bearing trees are scarce. Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease may reduce survival and reproductive success.

  • Keep construction compounds, food waste and domestic animals managed to avoid attracting predators.
  • Retain hollow-bearing trees and consider nest boxes only where a species-specific programme is designed and approved.
  • Record and report sick or dead parrots through the relevant wildlife authority, particularly where disease is suspected.

Threats: Roads and hydrology

The supplied documents do not identify roads or hydrology change as separate threats for this species. Roads, drainage works and altered water regimes should nevertheless be assessed where they remove or degrade wetlands, saltmarsh, grassland, grassy woodland or movement links used by the species.

  • Check whether access roads, culverts, drainage, dewatering or changed inundation could reduce wetland or saltmarsh feeding habitat.
  • Use the documented habitat values and regional context to assess indirect effects where project-specific information is limited.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and records review

Survey the Blue-winged Parrot where suitable feeding, staging or breeding habitat may be disturbed. The species is mobile, partly migratory and often feeds on the ground, so survey design must cover habitat condition, seasonal use and likely movement through the project area.

Map grasslands, grassy woodlands, coastal and inland wetlands, saltmarsh, semi-arid chenopod shrubland, rough pasture, heathy forest and eucalypt woodland within and around the project area.

Identify live and dead trees, stumps and hollows that could provide breeding habitat, and identify feeding areas with native or introduced grasses, herbs and shrubs.

Review federal, state, territory and local records, predictive models, previous surveys and threatened species databases before selecting field methods.

Assess how the site connects to nearby feeding, breeding, roosting and staging habitat, including habitat outside the development footprint.

  • Treat suitable habitat as potentially occupied when survey timing or conditions are inadequate to demonstrate absence.
  • Record habitat condition, recent fire, grazing, clearing, weeds, wetlands, hollow-bearing trees and likely flight or movement pathways.
  • Use the species' known breeding range and winter range when interpreting records, because birds breed in Tasmania, coastal south-eastern South Australia and southern Victoria, then may move to northern Victoria, eastern South Australia, south-western Queensland and western New South Wales.

Survey methodology: 2. Diurnal searches and vantage observations

Undertake systematic daytime searches of grasslands, grassy woodlands, wetlands, saltmarsh, rough pasture, paddocks, airfields, golf-course type habitats and semi-arid shrubland where the species may forage.

Search on foot along mapped habitat edges, wetland margins, open woodland, feeding areas and likely flight paths, and use fixed vantage points where the site is open enough to observe moving flocks.

Look and listen for pairs or small parties feeding on or near the ground, particularly in areas with grass and herb seed resources.

Record the date, start and finish time, weather, observer effort, route or vantage point, number of birds, behaviour, habitat used, direction of travel and photographs or sound recordings where available.

Typical size: About 21 to 24 cm; the consultation document reports a weight of less than 50 g, while BirdLife Australia reports an average weight of 55 g.

Breeding period: October to February in the BirdLife Australia profile.

Known movement period: Many birds leave Tasmania from March to April and return from August to October.

  • Give particular attention to the breeding period from October to February and to the movement period from March to April and August to October, while recognising that birds may occur outside these periods.
  • Repeat surveys where a single visit is unlikely to detect a mobile or seasonally absent species.
  • Do not treat a failure to detect birds as evidence of absence if suitable habitat remains or if the survey was conducted in unsuitable weather, outside the relevant seasonal window or with inadequate coverage.

Survey methodology: 3. Targeted breeding and feeding habitat checks

Inspect breeding habitat for live or dead trees and stumps with suitable hollows, preferably hollows with vertical openings, within eucalypt forest and woodland in the breeding range.

Inspect ground-feeding habitat for grass and herb seed resources, including coastal saltmarsh, rough pasture, grassy woodland, grassland and semi-arid chenopod shrubland.

Search for birds using recently burnt or logged wetter forest and heathy forest where breeding has been recorded in Victoria, but do not assume that fire or logging makes a site suitable without checking its current condition.

Where access, safety or visibility prevents an adequate search, document the limitation and apply the precautionary approach described in the survey guidelines.

  • Survey both the impact area and nearby retained habitat where birds could move during clearing.
  • Include wetlands and saltmarsh used for foraging or staging, even when they are outside the proposed clearing footprint but may be affected by access, drainage, sediment or noise.
  • Do not climb trees, inspect hollows internally or handle eggs, nestlings or adults unless the work is authorised and undertaken by appropriately qualified personnel.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

  • Set the survey effort, number of visits, survey area and seasonal coverage from the size and habitat complexity of the site, the likely impact and the species' movements, because the supplied documents do not prescribe a Blue-winged Parrot-specific number of nights, hours, transect length, trap nights or search density.
  • Allow sufficient lead time for surveys at the ecologically appropriate time of year, and use surveys over multiple years where one year's data cannot reliably detect the species or address seasonal conditions.
  • Record zero detections, survey limitations, weather, observers, methods, GPS tracks, habitat mapped, photographs and all incidental observations.
  • Submit confirmed records and survey results to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and to the project records system.
  • Report nationally significant impacts through the EPBC Act process where the proposed action may significantly impact this nationally listed Vulnerable species.
  • Use the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme only through an authorised bander; the recommended metal band size for Blue-winged Parrot is size 23, SS.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Avoid clearing Blue-winged Parrot habitat wherever practicable, then reduce the area, duration and intensity of disturbance. Planning must cover both breeding habitat and the feeding and staging areas used during migration.

Retain grasslands, grassy woodlands, wetlands, saltmarsh, semi-arid chenopod shrubland, eucalypt woodland, live and dead hollow-bearing trees, stumps and native groundcover.

Avoid fragmenting feeding, breeding and staging habitat, and retain connections between woodland, wetland, saltmarsh and open feeding areas.

Retain large old trees, isolated paddock trees and trees with existing or developing hollows, including dead trees where they can be retained safely.

Avoid clearing or degrading habitat that is temporarily unoccupied but could become suitable again after fire, grazing or other disturbance.

  • Keep construction compounds, access tracks, stockpiles, lighting and drainage works out of retained habitat where practicable.
  • Prevent sediment, weeds, altered drainage and machinery access from degrading wetlands, saltmarsh and ground-feeding areas.
  • Do not rely on an offset as a substitute for avoiding or mitigating impacts to habitat critical to survival.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and project controls

Check whether the action requires referral or approval under the EPBC Act because the Blue-winged Parrot is listed as Vulnerable and is a Matter of National Environmental Significance.

Check state and territory threatened species legislation, wildlife permits, animal ethics requirements and any approvals for clearing, fauna handling, nest boxes or banding.

Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies habitat to retain, survey timing, daily pre-start checks, fauna handling authority, stop-work triggers, release sites, injured-animal procedures, incident reporting and monitoring.

  • Obtain written approval before any person captures, relocates, bands or otherwise handles a Blue-winged Parrot.
  • Nominate an experienced fauna spotter catcher and a clear escalation contact for the site supervisor, ecologist, regulator and wildlife carer or veterinarian.
  • Include the species in the site's induction and toolbox talks for machine operators, supervisors and subcontractors.

Before habitat disturbance: Timing and site preparation

Schedule clearing outside the main breeding period from October to February where practicable, while recognising that birds can occur in the area during migration and winter.

Stage works so that retained feeding, breeding and staging habitat remains available while construction progresses.

Complete a pre-clearance survey shortly before disturbance, with the timing and coverage set by the habitat, season, visibility and approval conditions.

Mark retained trees, stumps, wetlands, saltmarsh, grassland, logs and exclusion areas before machinery enters the site.

  • Install exclusion fencing where it can protect retained habitat, wetlands, hollow-bearing trees and ground-feeding areas without blocking necessary bird movement.
  • Brief operators on the location of exclusion zones and the procedure for stopping work when fauna or a habitat feature is found.
  • Recheck the site after any delay, changed work area, fire, flood or major weather event that could alter fauna use or habitat condition.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Use active supervision during clearing and construction. Blue-winged Parrots feed on the ground, use tree hollows for nesting and may move between separate habitat types, so controls must cover both machinery movements and habitat features.

The fauna spotter catcher must complete a pre-start inspection of the approved work area, access routes, retained habitat, wetlands and exclusion fencing each day.

Keep machinery within the approved footprint and use a controlled clearing direction that allows mobile fauna to move towards suitable retained habitat.

Clear vegetation in stages under the direct direction of the fauna spotter catcher, with the operator stopping immediately when instructed.

Maintain clear communication between the spotter catcher, machine operator, supervisor and ecologist by radio or an agreed hand signal.

Do not allow works to continue when visibility, smoke, dust, darkness, heavy rain or unsafe conditions prevent effective fauna observation.

  • Keep people, vehicles, dogs and machinery out of retained feeding, wetland and staging habitat unless the work plan permits access.
  • Control speed, lighting, noise, dust, sediment and stockpiles near retained habitat.
  • Inspect the ground and low vegetation before machinery moves because the species commonly forages on or near the ground.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and fauna handling

Stop work before removing any live or dead hollow-bearing tree, stump or suspected nest tree until the fauna spotter catcher and ecologist have assessed it under the approved fauna management plan.

Retain logs, coarse woody debris, native groundcover, wetlands and saltmarsh where practicable, and move unavoidable habitat features only under an approved method.

Do not destroy, block or fill a hollow, nest, burrow or wetland feature without first checking for fauna and complying with permit and approval conditions.

If a Blue-winged Parrot is found, stop nearby work, keep people and machinery back, allow an escape route to retained habitat and notify the authorised fauna handler.

Do not chase, net, restrain, transport or release the bird unless the person is authorised, trained and acting under the approved fauna management plan.

Release a healthy bird only to suitable nearby retained habitat identified in advance and record the location, time, condition and action taken.

Take an injured or distressed bird to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as practicable, following the approved wildlife handling procedure.

Recommended ABBBS metal band: Size 23, SS, for Blue-winged Parrot.

  • Do not handle eggs, nestlings or adults without the required authority and species-appropriate equipment.
  • Do not use nest boxes as an immediate substitute for retaining existing hollow-bearing trees unless the action is supported by an approved management plan.
  • Do not band a bird unless the work is undertaken by an authorised ABBBS bander.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

Stop work in the affected area if a Blue-winged Parrot is found, a nest or occupied hollow is suspected, an animal is injured, exclusion fencing fails, or clearing moves outside the approved footprint.

Stop work if previously unmapped wetland, saltmarsh, hollow-bearing tree, feeding concentration or movement pathway is identified and the approved controls do not cover it.

Resume only after the fauna spotter catcher, ecologist and site supervisor have confirmed the control, exclusion area or relocation action and recorded the decision.

  • Record every fauna observation, attempted capture, injury, mortality, relocation, nest or hollow inspection, stop-work event and corrective action.
  • Record the date, time, GPS location, habitat, work activity, machinery involved, people notified and photographs where relevant.
  • Notify the project environmental officer and regulator when required by the approval, permit or fauna management plan.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance inspection

Post-clearance work must confirm that no fauna or important habitat feature was missed and that retained habitat remains functional. Monitoring should cover both the cleared area and nearby retained habitat used for feeding, breeding or movement.

Inspect the cleared area, access tracks, tree debris, logs, stumps, wetland margins and exclusion zones after each clearing stage and before the next construction stage.

Check for injured or dead birds, damaged hollows, displaced logs, sediment impacts, weed spread and changes to drainage or groundcover.

Confirm that retained trees, wetlands, saltmarsh, grasslands, grassy woodland and movement connections remain protected.

  • Complete a final fauna sweep before demobilising the spotter catcher from each work area.
  • Repair exclusion fencing and reinstate habitat protection controls if construction continues near retained habitat.
  • Escalate any mortality, injured animal, nest damage or unapproved clearing under the project's incident procedure.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

Monitor retained and rehabilitated habitat during the periods when birds are most likely to breed, migrate or use the site for feeding, with the schedule set by approval conditions and the project's impact assessment.

Use repeat observations and the same mapped routes or vantage points where possible so changes in use can be compared over time.

Report survey results, incidents, habitat loss, rehabilitation progress and any Blue-winged Parrot records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and approval authority.

  • Compare monitoring results with the approved performance measures, including habitat retained, habitat condition, bird detections and any breeding or feeding use.
  • Maintain records of dates, observers, effort, weather, locations, habitat condition, bird numbers and management responses.
  • Review controls if monitoring shows declining habitat condition, repeated disturbance, mortality or loss of connectivity.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

Assess residual impacts against the EPBC Act approval, state requirements and the project's offsets assessment.

Where an offset is required, prioritise actions that protect or restore Blue-winged Parrot feeding, breeding, staging and movement habitat, including grasslands, grassy woodlands, wetlands, saltmarsh and hollow-bearing trees.

Do not count unverified or unsuitable habitat works as an offset; document the location, tenure, protection mechanism, management actions and monitoring period.

Rehabilitation actions: Habitat restoration

Rehabilitation should restore the feeding, breeding and movement functions used by the Blue-winged Parrot. Prioritise connected native vegetation, seed-producing groundcover, wetlands and future hollow supply rather than short-term appearance alone.

Revegetate cleared or degraded grassland and grassy woodland with a diverse mix of locally appropriate native species, focusing on expanding and connecting existing habitat and widening wildlife corridors.

Restore native grass, herb and shrub groundcover that can provide seed resources for ground-feeding birds, while controlling weeds that alter vegetation structure, food availability or fire behaviour.

Protect and restore coastal and inland wetlands, saltmarsh and semi-arid chenopod shrubland used for foraging and staging.

Retain and protect live and dead trees, stumps and trees with the potential to develop hollows within breeding habitat.

  • Use local provenance species suited to the site's soil, rainfall, fire regime and wetland conditions.
  • Do not replace native feeding habitat with dense plantings that remove open ground and grass seed resources.
  • Prevent grazing, compaction, vehicle access and construction drainage from degrading newly restored habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Hollows, logs and nesting resources

Where hollows are limiting, develop a nest box programme tailored to the species and install boxes only under an approved design, placement and monitoring plan.

Protect trees that may develop hollows and retain suitable dead wood, logs and stumps where they do not create a safety risk.

Use nest boxes as a supplementary measure while retaining existing hollow-bearing trees and planning for long-term replacement of old trees.

  • Record nest box location, design, height, orientation, inspection date, occupancy and maintenance action.
  • Remove or replace damaged boxes only when authorised and when checks confirm that they are not occupied.
  • Investigate competition, predation and disease if boxes or natural hollows show repeated breeding failure.

Rehabilitation actions: Fire, weeds and predators

Develop site-based fire management with local authorities and consider the species' need for seed resources, groundcover, woodland structure and hollow-bearing trees.

Avoid both frequent intense fire that removes seed resources and excessive fire exclusion that allows unsuitable woody thickening or loss of grassy woodland character.

Control weeds using methods suited to the site and avoid spraying, slashing or burning when birds, nests or feeding habitat could be affected.

Reduce predation risk by controlling feral cats and foxes where approved and practical, and promote responsible cat ownership near habitat.

  • Use climate information and local fire advice when planning rehabilitation and fire management.
  • Monitor newly burnt areas for changes in grass seed availability, shelter, hollow trees and bird use.
  • Do not undertake predator control or fire management without the required approvals and a site-specific risk assessment.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and adaptive management

Set measurable rehabilitation targets for native groundcover, weed reduction, wetland condition, connected habitat, retained or developing hollows and protection from grazing and vehicles.

Monitor bird use through repeat surveys that record detections, flock or pair numbers, feeding behaviour, breeding signs, habitat condition and seasonal timing.

Use monitoring results to adjust grazing, weed control, fire planning, nest box management, predator control and revegetation methods.

  • Report rehabilitation progress and Blue-winged Parrot observations to the relevant state or territory wildlife database where required.
  • Continue monitoring for long enough to detect seasonal and annual variation, because the species is mobile and may use different parts of its range between breeding and non-breeding periods.
  • Investigate any sustained decline in detections, loss of groundcover, failed nesting, hollow loss or wetland degradation and document the corrective action.

Sources