Fauna Spotters logo

Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster)

The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small, ground-feeding migratory parrot that breeds in south-west Tasmania and spends the non-breeding period mainly in coastal Victoria and south-eastern South Australia, with occasional records in New South Wales. It depends on coastal saltmarsh, strandline, dune, heathland and low shrub habitats, so clearing, construction, fire, predators, disease and changes to coastal wetlands can affect a species with a very small population.

Conservation status

Commonwealth, EPBC Act 1999: Critically endangered.

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Critically endangered.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Critically endangered.

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

Tasmania, Threatened Species Protection Act 1995: Endangered.

Breeding season

Timing varies between Tasmania and the mainland. Adults return to south-west Tasmania from about September to November, breed there through summer, and depart for mainland coastal habitat from late February to early April, with juveniles leaving later than adults.

The season pattern is a general guide. Migration timing and site use can vary between years, and some birds may remain in Tasmania during part of the non-breeding period.

  • Breeding: Adults return to Tasmania from about September, inspect nesting sites from late October and lay from November. Breeding continues to mid-February.
  • Breeding and nestlings: Eggs are laid from late November to mid-December in the supplied records. Incubation is 21 to 24 days, and young remain in the nest for about 4 to 5 weeks.
  • Juvenile dependence and departure: Most young fledge in late January to mid-February. Juveniles may remain dependent after fledging and leave for mainland wintering grounds from late March to early April.
  • Mainland movement and non-breeding presence: Adults leave Tasmania in late February to mid-March, while juveniles leave later. The mainland non-breeding period is mainly during the cooler months, with passage movements potentially extending from late January to July.
  • Highest clearing risk: Risk is highest when occupied habitat is cleared or disturbed: mainland feeding and roosting habitat is used mainly from autumn to spring, while Tasmanian breeding habitat is occupied from about September to April. Active nests and dependent young require particular protection from November to April.

Identification

The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small, stocky, ground-feeding parrot. It is usually most distinctive in south-west Tasmanian breeding habitat, but can be difficult to separate from other small green parrots on the mainland.

Adults are about 20 cm long and weigh about 40 g. The adult male has bright green upperparts, yellow-green underparts, a prominent two-toned blue frontal band and an orange patch on the belly. The wing edges and some wing feathers are blue.

Females are duller overall, with less blue and a smaller, less distinct orange belly patch. Juveniles are duller green to yellow-olive, with a less prominent blue frontal band and a bill that is initially dull yellow or orange before darkening.

Body length: About 20 cm, with a reported range of 20 to 22 cm.

Body weight: About 40 g.

Bill, eyes and legs: Greyish-black bill, dark brown eyes and greyish-brown to dark grey legs.

Identification: Similar species

Blue-winged and Elegant Parrots are the main potential confusion species. The Orange-bellied Parrot has a green face, a blue forehead band that does not extend behind the eye, blue wing edges and a distinctive buzzing alarm call.

The orange belly patch is not always a reliable field mark. Blue-winged Parrots can occur in the same foraging groups, and coastal heath occupied by Blue-winged Parrots may indicate suitable habitat for Orange-bellied Parrots.

  • Check the forehead band, which is blue and does not extend behind the eye.
  • Check for a green face rather than yellow plumage behind or above the eye.
  • Use the call, habitat and behaviour with plumage features because the belly patch may be difficult to see.

Identification: Calls and field signs

The contact call is a sharp or buzzing note, often repeated every one to three seconds during flight. The alarm call is a rapidly repeated, metallic or explosive buzzing sound when a bird is flushed. Soft chitting or warbling may be heard while birds feed.

The species feeds on the ground or in low foliage and may occur in pairs or small flocks. Direct evidence is more likely to be a visual record, call, feathers, feeding observation or a bird using a nest hollow or nest-box than distinctive tracks or scats.

  • Record the direction of flight, flock size, call type, habitat and whether the bird was feeding or roosting.
  • Search mature eucalypts and installed nest-boxes for nest use during the Tasmanian breeding period.
  • Do not rely on tracks or scats for confirmation because the supplied sources do not describe diagnostic tracks or scats for this parrot.

Distribution: National range

The species has a migratory distribution between south-west Tasmania and the southern mainland coast. Occurrence outside the main range is possible, particularly in suitable coastal habitat and during migration.

Breeding is restricted to south-west Tasmania, generally near Melaleuca and within about 20 to 30 km of the coast. Birds migrate across Bass Strait, using the west and north-west Tasmanian coast and sometimes King Island, before reaching coastal South Australia and Victoria.

The mainland non-breeding range extends from south-eastern South Australia, including the Coorong and areas towards Yorke Peninsula, through southern Victoria to Westernport Bay and Gippsland. The survey guidelines describe the broader passage range as extending from Spencer Gulf to Sydney, although most birds are concentrated between Gippsland and the Coorong.

  • Tasmania: south-west breeding range, with passage habitat on the west and north-west coast.
  • Victoria: coastal bays, lagoons, estuaries, islands and other sheltered coastal sites, including the Port Phillip and Western Port areas.
  • South Australia: coastal sites in the south-east, including the Coorong and areas extending west towards Yorke Peninsula.
  • New South Wales: occasional records, including the Sydney Basin, Illawarra, Shellharbour and Maroubra.

Distribution: Bioregions and strongholds

The NSW profile identifies known or predicted occurrence in the Ocean bioregion, including the Hawkesbury Shelf and Southern Australian Coastal Waters, the South East Corner, and the Sydney Basin. The profile also identifies coastal restrictions for several predicted areas.

The principal breeding stronghold is the south-west Tasmanian population centred around Melaleuca. Mainland sites are scattered coastal wintering and passage areas rather than a single continuous population.

  • Known or predicted NSW areas include the Hawkesbury Shelf, Illawarra, Pittwater, Jervis, Bateman, East Gippsland Lowlands and South East Coastal Ranges.
  • The species is usually associated with areas within 3 km of the mainland coast, although some records occur up to 10 km inland and occasional NSW records occurred several hundred metres from the coast in weed-rich habitat.
  • King Island can provide a stopover or occasional non-breeding habitat.

Distribution: Population and trend

The population underwent a severe long-term decline. Government material states that intensive, multi-jurisdictional recovery work and captive releases have prevented extinction, but the very small population and reduced genetic diversity continue to create a high extinction risk.

Published counts in the supplied material are from different years and programmes. They should not be combined as a current census, but they show the scale and volatility of the population.

Government scorecard context: Fewer than 50 birds were reported in the wild in the 2018 scorecard summary.

Other reported estimate: The NSW profile describes the population as fewer than 200 birds.

Recent breeding return reported: Seventy birds were reported to have returned to breed in the 2021 to 2022 season.

Historical low reported: Sixteen confirmed wild individuals were reported for the 2016 to 2017 breeding season.

Habitat: Breeding habitat

Habitat use changes between the Tasmanian breeding range and the mainland non-breeding range. Most occupied sites are coastal or sub-coastal, with low vegetation and access to seed-producing plants.

In south-west Tasmania, the species uses near-coastal buttongrass plains and sedgelands with patches of Smithton peppermint forest. Breeding habitat is generally within 5 km of high-tide level and commonly occurs near the coast.

The species tends to avoid extensive temperate rainforest. Nests are in mature eucalypts, particularly Smithton peppermint and sometimes swamp gum, bordering or occurring within buttongrass habitat.

  • Buttongrass moorland and sedgeland.
  • Smithton peppermint Eucalyptus nitida forest and copses.
  • Swamp gum Eucalyptus ovata where suitable hollows occur.
  • Coastal heathland, dunes, grassland and pasture can be used during passage.

Habitat: Mainland habitat

On the mainland, Orange-bellied Parrots spend winter mostly within 3 km of the coast in sheltered bays, lagoons, estuaries, coastal dunes, saltmarshes, strandline vegetation and low coastal shrubland. They also use peninsulas, islands, saltworks, golf courses and modified grassed areas where food is available.

Important mainland vegetation includes low samphire herbland and taller shrubland dominated by salt-tolerant plants. Coastal sites can be connected to pasture, seed crops, weed-rich ground or other modified areas used for feeding.

  • Coastal saltmarsh and samphire herbland.
  • Strandline and foredune vegetation.
  • Littoral heathland and low coastal shrubland.
  • Sheltered lagoons, estuaries, bays, islands and peninsulas.
  • Adjacent grassland, pasture, golf courses and weed-rich areas where suitable food plants occur.

Habitat: Structure and site limits

The species is a low-foraging parrot rather than a canopy specialist. Suitable sites usually contain open or low vegetation for feeding, nearby taller shrubs or trees for cover and roosting, and seed-producing coastal plants.

The supplied sources do not give a reliable elevation limit. Habitat suitability should therefore be assessed from coastal position, vegetation structure, food plants, recent records and seasonal use rather than elevation alone.

  • Map low samphire, saltmarsh, sedgeland, heathland, dunes, strandline and low shrubland before clearing.
  • Retain mature eucalypts and hollow-bearing trees in and near Tasmanian breeding habitat.
  • Assess nearby roosting shrubs and trees as well as the open feeding area.
  • Treat sites with Blue-winged Parrots and suitable coastal heath as potential Orange-bellied Parrot habitat, even where the target species has not been recorded.

Foraging habitat: Diet

Orange-bellied Parrots feed mainly on the ground and in low vegetation. They select small seeds, fruits, flowers and berries from coastal and salt-tolerant plants, and may use weed-rich or modified areas beside coastal habitat.

The diet consists mainly of seeds and fruits of sedges, herbs and saltmarsh plants. Flowers, berries and occasional stems are also eaten, and kelp has been reported as an occasional food.

Important recorded food plants include beaded glasswort, shrubby glasswort, coast fescue, saltbush, Austral seablite, sea heath and Coprosma berries.

  • Beaded glasswort Salicornia quinqueflora, also treated in the supplied material as Sarcocornia quinqueflora.
  • Shrubby glasswort Tecticornia arbuscula, also treated in the supplied material as Sclerostegia arbuscula.
  • Coast fescue Austrofestuca littoralis.
  • Saltbush Atriplex cinerea.
  • Austral seablite Suaeda australis.
  • Sea heath Frankenia pauciflora.
  • Coprosma berries and some exotic weed species.

Foraging habitat: Foraging behaviour

Birds generally forage on the ground or in low foliage, in pairs or small flocks. Feeding starts just before or after dawn, followed by a resting period in mid-morning. In the breeding season, males may forage constantly while feeding an incubating female, and both parents feed the young after hatching.

Birds can forage among Blue-winged Parrots. Mainland birds may use coastal saltmarsh, low shrubland, grassy fairways, pasture, seed crops and weed-rich areas several hundred metres from the coast.

Typical mainland coastal distance: Mostly within 3 km of the coast, with some records up to 10 km inland.

Reported male foraging distance during breeding: Up to 3 to 5 km from the nest site, depending on the source.

  • Search the ground layer and low shrubs, not only trees and canopy vegetation.
  • Inspect food-rich saltmarsh edges, coastal heath, dune vegetation and adjacent modified ground.
  • Record feeding plant species, flock size, distance from the coast and nearby cover.
  • Assess both the feeding patch and the route to nearby roosting vegetation.

Foraging habitat: Fire and food availability

In the Tasmanian breeding range, food preferences vary with time since fire. Early in the breeding season, birds have been reported to prefer areas burnt 7 to 15 years previously. By mid-breeding season, they have been reported using areas 3 to 5 years after fire.

These intervals should inform habitat assessment, but fire history does not replace field checks for current food plants, cover and bird use.

  • Map fire age and identify whether preferred food plants are present and producing seed.
  • Avoid assuming that recently burnt ground is unsuitable without considering the season and post-fire food response.
  • Include fire management and planned burns in project impact assessment where they could change food availability or cover.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding is restricted to south-west Tasmania. The species requires mature eucalypts or nest-boxes near buttongrass and sedgeland feeding habitat, with suitable cover and food within the breeding area.

Pairs generally arrive in south-west Tasmania from about September to October and inspect nesting sites soon after arrival. Breeding occurs from November to mid-February, with most young fledging from late January to mid-February.

The female cleans the hollow, lays eggs at about two-day intervals and incubates them. The male feeds the female during incubation, then both parents feed the young after the female begins leaving the nest during the day.

Breeding season: November to mid-February, with nest inspection and site occupation beginning from late October in some years.

Clutch size: 3 to 6 eggs, with an average of about 4.5 eggs.

Egg laying interval: About two days between eggs.

Incubation: About 21 to 24 days.

Fledging: Young leave the nest at about 4 to 5 weeks old.

Age at maturity: The species can breed in its first year of life.

Recorded longevity: The oldest known wild individual was more than 9 years old.

Breeding habitat: Nest sites

Natural nests are in hollows in mature trees, usually Smithton peppermint and sometimes swamp gum. Hollows occur in trunks or broken branches, and are usually not in standing dead trees according to the Australian Museum account.

All contemporary breeding is reported to occur in nest-boxes, although the species naturally depends on tree hollows. Nest-box provision remains a priority recovery action.

Typical natural nest tree: Mature Smithton peppermint Eucalyptus nitida, sometimes swamp gum Eucalyptus ovata.

Nest entrance: About 6 to 10 cm wide.

Reported hollow depth: Up to about 60 cm.

  • Retain mature hollow-bearing eucalypts and trees around buttongrass and sedgeland.
  • Protect nest-boxes and maintain access for recovery staff and monitoring teams.
  • Avoid clearing or noisy works near active nest sites during incubation and the nestling period.
  • Inspect proposed work areas for natural hollows and installed nest-boxes before vegetation removal.

Breeding habitat: Breeding area arrangement

Breeding sites occur in forest and copses near buttongrass plains and sedgelands, generally close to the coast. The nest site must be close enough to feeding areas for adults to provision the incubating female and nestlings.

A successful nesting site may be reused, with some sites reported to have been used for up to six years.

  • Retain the nest tree, nearby low feeding habitat and the movement route between them.
  • Treat a nest-box, active hollow or recently used nest site as a breeding feature requiring seasonal protection.
  • Check the wider area for other nest-boxes and feeding patches rather than assessing the nest tree in isolation.

Sheltering habitat: Night roosts

The species roosts in trees or tall shrubs near feeding areas. Shelter is also provided by low coastal shrubland, heath, sedgeland and other dense vegetation used when birds feed or are flushed.

Orange-bellied Parrots generally roost at night in trees or tall shrubs within about 1 km of feeding locations. Survey planning must account for movement between daytime feeding areas and night roosts.

The survey guidelines note that birds can fly from feeding areas to roost in trees some distance away. A site without food plants may still be important if it contains a nearby roost.

Reported roost distance from feeding sites: Within about 1 km.

  • Retain trees and tall shrubs within 1 km of known or suitable feeding habitat where practicable.
  • Map likely flight paths between saltmarsh, low shrubland, pasture and roosting vegetation.
  • Avoid night lighting and unnecessary night works near known roosts and flight routes.
  • Check tall shrubs, isolated trees, shelter belts and woodland edges during late afternoon or early morning surveys.

Sheltering habitat: Daytime cover

During the day, birds feed on the ground or in low foliage and may rest quietly in nearby vegetation. Low samphire herbland, taller salt-tolerant shrubland, coastal heath and dune vegetation can provide both cover and food.

The species is small and can be difficult to detect when flushed. Retaining continuous patches of low vegetation and nearby taller shrubs can reduce the need for birds to cross exposed areas.

  • Retain dense low shrubland and samphire patches around feeding areas.
  • Protect island, peninsula, lagoon and estuary vegetation from unnecessary disturbance.
  • Keep stock, domestic animals and machinery away from known feeding and roosting areas where possible.
  • Use staged clearing and pre-clearance checks where suitable habitat cannot be retained.

Sheltering habitat: Nest shelter

Nest hollows and nest-boxes provide shelter for eggs and nestlings. The reported natural hollow has an entrance of about 6 to 10 cm and can be up to about 60 cm deep.

The supplied sources do not describe burrows, dens, sloughs, or diagnostic shelter signs for this species. Hollow-bearing trees and nest-boxes are the main shelter features to inspect.

  • Inspect all mature eucalypts, broken limbs and installed nest-boxes before clearing in south-west Tasmania.
  • Do not remove hollow-bearing trees solely because they are dead or partly dead without checking their conservation function.
  • Record the tree, hollow or nest-box position and protect it from machinery strike and branch damage.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are loss and degradation of coastal winter habitat, damage to Tasmanian breeding habitat, disturbance or removal of nest features, predators, disease and events that reduce movement or food availability. Because the population is very small, local impacts can have effects beyond the area cleared.

Loss and degradation of mainland coastal saltmarsh, dune, strandline and low shrub habitats are identified as major threats. Clearing can remove feeding plants, cover and roosts, while fragmentation can increase exposed movement between habitat patches.

Tasmanian works can remove breeding trees, nest-boxes, buttongrass feeding habitat or the connection between nest sites and food areas.

  • Avoid clearing coastal saltmarsh, samphire, strandline, dune, heath and low shrubland where Orange-bellied Parrots may occur.
  • Retain mature hollow-bearing eucalypts and nest-boxes in the Tasmanian breeding range.
  • Keep exclusion zones around active nests, nest-boxes, feeding areas and roosts.
  • Assess indirect effects on adjacent habitat, including altered access, noise, lighting, weeds and increased predators.

Threats: Fire, hydrology and coastal change

Altered fire regimes in the Tasmanian breeding range can reduce preferred vegetation. The species uses different post-fire ages during the breeding season, so broad or poorly timed burns can remove food or cover across a large area.

Changes to coastal wetland water levels, tidal exchange or drainage can alter saltmarsh and lagoon vegetation. The supplied sources identify loss and degradation of coastal saltmarsh and lagoons as threats, but do not provide a species-specific hydrology threshold.

  • Include fire age, planned burns and fire breaks in habitat assessment.
  • Avoid treating all fire ages as equivalent because food use changes through the breeding season.
  • Prevent construction drainage, fill, sedimentation and altered water movement from degrading saltmarsh, lagoons or estuaries.
  • Maintain coastal wetland vegetation and avoid isolating feeding areas from nearby roosts.

Threats: Predators, competitors and structures

Foxes and feral cats are known threats. Competition with introduced seed-eaters and competition for nest hollows with Common Starlings are also identified. Structures can create collision risk, and bright lights may disorient birds during Bass Strait migration.

Road-specific mortality rates are not provided in the supplied sources. Roads, tracks, construction traffic and temporary works can nevertheless increase disturbance, vehicle strike risk and access for predators in occupied coastal habitat.

  • Control foxes and feral cats around known and potential feeding, roosting and breeding habitat.
  • Manage weeds and introduced seed-eaters where they reduce access to native food plants.
  • Check tall structures, lighting, temporary cables, fencing and other collision hazards near flight paths.
  • Use fauna-sensitive traffic controls near occupied habitat, especially during migration and at dawn or dusk.
  • Avoid creating new predator access tracks through saltmarsh, dune or breeding habitat.

Threats: Disease and population risks

Psittacine beak and feather disease has caused significant mortality in captive Orange-bellied Parrots, has been detected in wild birds and is assessed as a very high risk because the species occurs as a single, very small population. Transmission risks are relevant to captive breeding, rehabilitation, releases and contact with other parrots.

Small population size also increases the effects of inbreeding, loss of genetic diversity, storms, fire, predation and other chance events.

PBFD risk assessment: Very high for the Orange-bellied Parrot in the supplied threat abatement advice.

Disease history: PBFD caused significant deaths during the captive breeding programme in 1986 to 1991 and a significant death event in 1991 is also reported.

  • Apply approved hygiene and biosecurity procedures where projects involve captive birds, rehabilitation, nest-box work or released birds.
  • Do not handle, feed or move parrots without appropriate wildlife authority approval and disease controls.
  • Report sick or dead parrots through the relevant state wildlife or conservation authority.
  • Maintain habitat and population connectivity to reduce additional pressure on a small population.

Threats: Survey and construction controls

Survey timing is especially important because the species is migratory and changes habitat between seasons and between daytime feeding and night roosting. The Australian Government survey guidelines state that absence should not be claimed without effective survey or other supporting evidence.

For project planning, check records and predictive habitat before site selection, survey suitable coastal habitat during the period when birds are likely to be present, and include nearby feeding areas, roosts and flight paths.

Mainland presence: Mostly during the winter and non-breeding period, although passage timing can extend from late January to July.

Tasmanian breeding presence: Adults generally return from about September to November, with breeding from November to mid-February and juvenile departure from March to April.

  • Use the current protected matters and state biodiversity databases before fieldwork.
  • Survey mainland coastal habitat during the non-breeding period and Tasmanian breeding habitat between October and February where relevant.
  • Survey at suitable times of day, including feeding areas and potential roosts, and avoid poor visibility, strong wind and rain.
  • Engage suitably qualified ecologists and fauna spotter catchers before clearing where records or suitable habitat are present.
  • If a bird is found during works, stop work in the immediate area, protect the bird and habitat, and follow the approved fauna management procedure and relevant authority requirements.

Survey methodology: 1. Confirm records and suitable habitat

Survey planning must reflect the Orange-bellied Parrot's seasonal migration, coastal habitat use and low detectability. Surveys should combine database checks, habitat assessment and targeted observation, with timing adjusted to whether the project is in the Tasmanian breeding range, on the migration route or in mainland wintering habitat.

Check federal, state and local wildlife databases, recovery information and recent records before selecting survey sites.

Map coastal saltmarsh, samphire, strandline and foredune vegetation, coastal lagoons, estuaries, islands, peninsulas, low coastal shrubland and nearby grassy or modified foraging areas.

In south-west Tasmania, also map buttongrass plains and sedgelands with Smithton peppermint or swamp gum forest, mature trees and known or potential nest-box sites.

Treat habitat used by Blue-winged Parrots as a useful indicator of potentially suitable Orange-bellied Parrot habitat, but do not use Blue-winged Parrot presence as proof that Orange-bellied Parrots are absent or present.

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted ground observation

Search feeding habitat on foot from suitable vantage points, concentrating on low samphire herbland, saltmarsh, coastal shrubland, foredunes, lagoons, estuaries, islands, peninsulas and adjacent grassed areas.

Record all small parrots carefully because Orange-bellied Parrots can be confused with Blue-winged and Elegant Parrots.

Use the species' distinctive features to confirm records: a blue forehead band that does not extend behind the eye, blue wing edges, green face, orange belly patch and a buzzy alarm or contact call.

Record feeding, flight direction, roosting, flock associations, habitat condition and any use of weeds or modified ground.

Mainland distance from coast: Usually within 3 km of the coast, although some records occur up to 10 km inland

Typical group size: Pairs or small flocks

Mainland food habitat: Saltmarsh and low coastal vegetation, including samphire, glasswort, sea heath and sea-blite

Survey methodology: 3. Time surveys for seasonal and daily movements

For mainland projects, give priority to the non-breeding period when most birds are on the coast, while recognising that migration records can occur outside the main wintering period.

For Tasmanian projects, survey the breeding range from the birds' arrival in about late September to October through the breeding season, which extends from November to mid-February.

Allow for migration timing when assessing records: northward migration is protracted from late January to July, while southward migration is generally from September to November.

Search both feeding areas and nearby trees or tall shrubs because birds leave feeding areas to roost, sometimes using roosts up to 1 km from feeding sites.

Plan fieldwork in calm, dry conditions. Avoid wind above about 10 km/h, rainfall heavier than drizzle, mist, fog and temperatures well outside the seasonal average where these conditions reduce detection.

Breeding range: South-west Tasmania

Breeding period: November to mid-February

Adult departure from breeding area: Late February to early March

Juvenile departure: Mid-March to late April

Roost distance noted in survey guidance: Roosts can be some distance from feeding areas and may be within 1 km of feeding locations

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

Use repeated visits where one visit cannot cover the relevant seasonal period or where habitat is extensive, difficult to view or used irregularly between years.

The provided survey guideline extract does not specify a species-specific number of transects, survey hours, nights or trap nights for Orange-bellied Parrots, so set effort from the mapped habitat, seasonal presence, site size, detectability and project risk, and document the reasons for the chosen effort.

Do not use trapping as a default method for this species. Use observation and habitat assessment unless a suitably authorised wildlife professional and the relevant authority approve another method.

Record the date, time, observers, weather, survey route or area, effort, habitat, species identification evidence, flock size, behaviour, photographs or audio where available, and the location of every detection and non-detection.

Submit confirmed records and credible sightings to the relevant state or territory wildlife database, and report NSW records to the relevant NSW agency database or reporting pathway.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise habitat loss

Treat any suitable coastal or Tasmanian breeding habitat as potentially occupied until records and habitat assessment show otherwise. The species is nationally listed as Critically Endangered and has state listings in New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.

  • Redesign the project to retain saltmarsh, samphire, foredune, strandline, coastal shrubland, lagoons, estuaries, islands, peninsulas and adjoining low foraging vegetation.
  • Retain mature eucalypts, especially Smithton peppermint and swamp gum in the Tasmanian breeding range, together with tree hollows and existing Orange-bellied Parrot nest-boxes.
  • Keep feeding areas connected to nearby roost trees, sheltering vegetation and movement routes, including coastal passage areas and islands where practicable.
  • Keep dogs, cats, foxes and other predators away from retained habitat and avoid creating isolated retained patches surrounded by works.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

  • Check whether the action is likely to have a significant impact on the nationally listed species and seek an EPBC Act referral or approval where required.
  • Obtain all applicable state or territory permits, wildlife authorisations and approvals for clearing, handling, relocation, nest-box disturbance, threatened species work and rehabilitation.
  • Plan the main disturbance outside periods when birds are likely to be present at the site, noting that mainland birds are generally present in the non-breeding period and Tasmanian birds breed from November to mid-February.
  • Stage clearing so that retained feeding, roosting and movement habitat remains available before, during and after each work stage.
  • Prepare a fauna management plan identifying the ecologist, authorised fauna spotter catcher, stop-work authority, wildlife carer or veterinarian, records process and emergency contacts.

Before habitat disturbance: Pre-clearance preparation

  • Complete a targeted pre-clearance survey at the time of year and in the habitat types most likely to detect the species.
  • Mark retained saltmarsh, coastal shrubland, roost trees, mature hollow-bearing trees, nest-boxes, movement routes, wetlands and no-go areas before machinery arrives.
  • Inspect nest-boxes and hollow-bearing trees only under the direction of an appropriately authorised person, and do not open, block, move or modify an occupied nest site without approval.
  • Install exclusion fencing where it can protect retained habitat, wetlands, saltmarsh edges, nest-boxes and roost vegetation without blocking normal bird movement.
  • Brief all workers on the species' appearance, call, habitat, no-go areas, stop-work triggers and the requirement to report every sighting immediately.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Use a daily control system that keeps machinery away from retained habitat and gives the fauna spotter catcher authority to pause work. Work must stop if an Orange-bellied Parrot, active nest site or other unapproved threatened species risk is identified.

  • Inspect exclusion fencing, signs, access tracks, stockpiles and retained habitat before work starts each day.
  • Keep machinery, vehicles, lighting, workers and spoil within approved work areas and prevent entry into marked saltmarsh, roost, nest-box and hollow-tree protection zones.
  • Use a fauna spotter catcher during clearing and other high-risk activities, positioned where the operator can see the spotter's stop signal and the next area to be disturbed.
  • Clear progressively in small stages, with the spotter catcher checking each stage before machinery enters it.
  • Stop work for strong wind, heavy rain, fog or other conditions that prevent effective observation or safe fauna handling.

During habitat disturbance: Habitat features and fauna handling

  • Do not remove, fell, cut, burn or relocate a hollow-bearing tree, nest-box, roost tree, log, rock, wetland edge or saltmarsh feature unless it is covered by the approved method and authorisations.
  • If an animal is found, stop nearby machinery, keep people and vehicles back, and allow the spotter catcher to assess the animal and its escape route.
  • Do not chase, catch or handle an Orange-bellied Parrot unless the person is authorised, trained and permitted to do so under the applicable law and project approval.
  • If capture is authorised and necessary, move the bird only to nearby suitable retained habitat selected by the ecologist and approved under the fauna management plan.
  • Take injured, sick or exhausted birds to an appropriately qualified veterinarian or authorised wildlife carer as soon as practicable, following disease-control and transport requirements.
  • Apply strict hygiene and separation controls because psittacine beak and feather disease has affected captive and wild Orange-bellied Parrots and poses a very high infection risk to this single-population species.

During habitat disturbance: Stop-work triggers and records

  • Stop work immediately if an Orange-bellied Parrot is observed within or adjacent to the work area, if a bird is injured, or if machinery enters a marked exclusion area.
  • Stop work if an active nest, occupied nest-box, occupied hollow, roost concentration, unapproved clearing impact or failure of exclusion fencing is found.
  • Notify the site supervisor, project ecologist and relevant authority when required, and do not resume until the ecologist confirms the control measure.
  • Record the location, time, identification evidence, behaviour, habitat, weather, machinery activity, response, handler, relocation site, veterinary or carer transfer and outcome.
  • Report any suspected disease, unusual mortality or significant injury through the approved wildlife health and project reporting channels.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance work must confirm that no birds, nests or habitat features were missed and that retained habitat remains usable. Monitoring should cover both direct impacts and changes to feeding, roosting and movement habitat.

  • Inspect the cleared edge, retained vegetation, access routes, stockpiles, nest-boxes, hollow-bearing trees and wetland margins after each clearing stage.
  • Complete a targeted search for injured, trapped or displaced birds before demobilising the fauna spotter catcher from the work area.
  • Check that exclusion fencing, buffers, no-go markers and sediment or lighting controls remain intact and are not reducing access to retained feeding or roost habitat.
  • Repair any damage to retained saltmarsh, samphire, coastal shrubland, roost vegetation, nest-boxes or movement routes caused by the works.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

  • Monitor retained and rehabilitated habitat during the relevant seasonal period, using the same locations and methods as the pre-clearance survey where practicable.
  • Record Orange-bellied Parrot detections, feeding or roosting use, movement through the site, predator activity, weed spread, habitat condition and any further injury or mortality.
  • Compare results with the approval conditions, fauna management plan and rehabilitation targets, and increase controls if birds avoid retained habitat or use areas exposed to project hazards.
  • Submit required fauna handling, mortality, threatened species and survey records to the project regulator and the relevant state or territory wildlife database.
  • Maintain exclusion fencing, speed controls, predator controls and worker reporting requirements until the project ecologist confirms that the risk has ended.

After habitat disturbance: Offsets and residual impacts

  • Calculate and document any unavoidable loss or degradation of Orange-bellied Parrot habitat under the applicable approval and state requirements.
  • Apply any approved offset, restoration or conservation payment conditions, and do not treat an offset as a substitute for retaining occupied habitat on the project site.
  • Include the long-term management, monitoring and reporting requirements for any offset or retained habitat in the project close-out records.

Rehabilitation actions: Restore species habitat

Rehabilitation should restore feeding habitat, shelter, roosting opportunities and movement links rather than only replacing vegetation cover. Design must reflect the different needs of mainland wintering sites and the Tasmanian breeding range.

  • Re-establish coastal saltmarsh, samphire herbland, strandline and foredune vegetation in mainland wintering areas using locally appropriate native plants suited to saline or alkaline soils.
  • Restore or protect food plants recorded for the species, including beaded glasswort, shrubby glasswort, coast fescue, saltbush, Austral seablite and sea heath where suitable for the local site.
  • In south-west Tasmania, restore buttongrass plains, sedgelands and patches of Smithton peppermint or swamp gum forest near suitable breeding habitat.
  • Keep rehabilitated feeding areas linked to retained coastal vegetation, lagoons, estuaries, islands, peninsulas and nearby roost trees.

Rehabilitation actions: Replace habitat features and manage threats

  • Install or reinstate approved nest-boxes in the Tasmanian breeding range where natural hollows are absent, using the species recovery program's current specifications and hygiene requirements.
  • Retain or reinstate suitable roost trees and tall shrubs within about 1 km of feeding areas where site conditions support them.
  • Control weeds, avoid introducing exotic seed sources and prevent grazing or other disturbance from removing low coastal food plants.
  • Implement fox and feral cat control around known or restored habitat, and manage domestic animal access near coastal sites.
  • Manage fire in Tasmanian breeding habitat so that the amount and age of preferred vegetation are maintained, using the current recovery program and land manager prescriptions.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

  • Measure survival and cover of planted saltmarsh, samphire, coastal shrubland, buttongrass and eucalypt plantings against the approved rehabilitation targets.
  • Check that nest-boxes, mature trees, roost vegetation, wetlands, movement routes and exclusion controls remain functional and connected.
  • Monitor for Orange-bellied Parrot feeding, roosting and passage use during the relevant mainland and Tasmanian seasons, rather than relying only on vegetation establishment.
  • Track weeds, predators, fire effects, grazing, disease risks and habitat condition, and correct problems before they reduce food or shelter availability.
  • Report monitoring results, management actions, sightings and failures against the rehabilitation targets to the regulator and relevant recovery program or wildlife database.

Sources