Scarlet-chested Parrot (Neophema splendida)

Conservation status

New South Wales, Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016: Vulnerable.

Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988: Endangered.

Northern Territory, Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976: Near threatened.

Breeding season

Timing varies with rainfall, seed production and local conditions. The pattern below is a practical guide for southern inland Australia, not a fixed annual cycle.

Rainfall and food availability can shift breeding and local presence by several months. Absence outside the marked period does not demonstrate that the species does not use the site.

• Breeding: Wild breeding is reported mainly from August to November, while the broader breeding period is mostly August to January. Timing depends on rain and the resulting seed supply.
• Eggs and young in hollows: Incubation is about 18 days and the nestling period about 30 days. Young may remain associated with the nest for about two months after incubation begins, so breeding activity can extend into January or February when laying is late.
• Movement and irruptions: The species is nomadic and irruptive. Birds may appear after rain and seed production, remain for several years, then disappear. In one documented district, birds had left by February.
• Foraging and flocking: Birds commonly occur as pairs or small groups, with larger flocks reported outside the breeding season. Winter feeding includes fallen spinifex seed, while spring grass seed supports breeding.
• Highest clearing risk: The highest risk is August to January, when adults may be nesting or feeding dependent young in tree hollows. Risk can extend into February where late breeding occurs or young remain dependent.

Identification

The Scarlet-chested Parrot is a small, brightly coloured grass parrot. Colour, sex and habitat are useful together because females and juveniles can resemble other Neophema parrots.

Adults are approximately 19 to 21 cm long. The male is bright green above, with yellow underparts, a blue face, throat and cheeks, blue-edged flight feathers and a distinctive scarlet chest. The female has a light green chest and generally duller colouring. Juveniles resemble females but are duller overall.

Length: Approximately 19 to 21 cm

Male: Bright green upperparts, yellow underparts, blue face, throat and cheeks, and scarlet chest

Female and juvenile: Female has a light green chest; juveniles are duller and resemble females

Identification: Similar species

The main documented field confusion is with the female Turquoise Parrot, Neophema pulchella. The two species may overlap in western New South Wales. The Turquoise Parrot has a darker, broader blue wing edge, whereas the Scarlet-chested Parrot has a lighter blue wing edge.

• Check the colour and width of the blue wing edge when identifying a female or juvenile Neophema.
• Record photographs, flock size, behaviour and habitat where identification is uncertain.

Identification: Field signs and nests

The species is usually encountered as an individual, pair or small group, although larger flocks can occur outside the breeding season. It feeds quietly on the ground and may be difficult to detect in mallee because the green back blends with leaves and the scarlet chest can resemble red twigs or dying leaves.

Nests are in tree hollows, commonly in dead spouts or hollow limbs of mallee or mulga. Eggs are laid on decayed wood or wood dust and debris, with no substantial nest lining. No reliable species-specific track, scat, call, slough or eyeshine description is provided in the documents.

• Inspect hollow limbs, dead spouts and other tree hollows before removing mallee, mulga or similar native trees.
• Treat a parrot entering a hollow, carrying food, or repeatedly visiting a hollow as a potential breeding record and refer it to the project ecologist.

Distribution: National range

The species has a large but sparse and irregular distribution across the arid interior of southern Australia. Records and abundance vary greatly between years, particularly after rain and seed production.

The historical range extended from the west coast of Western Australia to western New South Wales, with records as far north as the southern Northern Territory. The current distribution is centred on the arid interior, approximately from the Kalgoorlie area in Western Australia to western New South Wales, with the Great Victoria Desert forming an important concentration area.

The supplied state conservation information identifies the species as Vulnerable in New South Wales, Endangered in Victoria and Near Threatened in the Northern Territory. The species is also described in the status review as Rare in South Australia and not listed as threatened fauna in Western Australia.

• Western Australia: Great Victoria Desert, eastern goldfields and adjacent inland areas, with historical records extending west towards the Moore River region.
• South Australia: Great Victoria Desert, Eyre Peninsula, mallee country, the Murray region, the north-west and areas around the Transcontinental Railway.
• Northern Territory: southern inland areas, including records south-west of Alice Springs and near the South Australia border.
• New South Wales: western inland areas, including country near the Darling and Broken Hill region.
• Victoria: north-western mallee, with very few confirmed recent records.

Distribution: Strongholds and population pattern

The Great Victoria Desert and associated better vegetated arid shrublands are the best-supported concentration area in the documents. Other important areas have included mallee on Eyre Peninsula and mallee country near the River Murray, but occurrence can be temporary and strongly seasonal.

The species is nomadic and irruptive. Birds may occupy an area, breed for several years and then disappear. They can travel great distances, so a lack of recent local records does not demonstrate that a site is unused.

Estimated distribution: Approximately 262,000 km²

Estimated mature population: More than 10,000 mature individuals

Population trend: Reported as stable, with no evidence of decline in the previous 20 years in the cited status review

• Treat suitable mallee and mulga habitat as potentially occupied even when birds are not detected during one visit.
• Increase attention after substantial rain or when native grasses and spinifex are seeding.
• Do not assume that a small local record represents a resident subpopulation without repeated survey evidence.

Habitat: Habitat types

Scarlet-chested Parrots use dry inland shrublands and open woodlands, especially where native seed-producing ground cover occurs beneath mallee or Acacia vegetation. Suitable habitat can be waterless and remote from permanent surface water.

The typical setting is open woodland or shrubland among sand plains in the dry inland. Vegetation commonly includes mallee Eucalyptus, mulga Acacia aneura or gimlet Eucalyptus salubris, with sparse hummock grass dominated by Triodia species.

The species favours an arid climate with average annual rainfall below about 25 cm. It is often recorded in fixed dunes, shallow valleys and flats, rather than on dune ridges.

Typical rainfall: Usually less than about 25 cm per year

Ground cover: Sparse spinifex or other seasonal native grasses

Preferred local structure: Fixed dunes with shallow valleys or flats, stunted mallee and hummock grass

• Retain native mallee, mulga and gimlet vegetation where practicable.
• Map connected patches of native shrubland and ground cover before clearing, including areas that appear open or sparsely vegetated.
• Give particular attention to recently burnt and regenerating mallee where native seed is developing.

Habitat: Habitat condition

The species has been associated with mallee that has regenerated after fire, but it also needs older vegetation stages because tree hollows take a long time to form. Clearing, harvesting and frequent fire can therefore remove both feeding habitat and future nesting resources.

It generally avoids stubble paddocks, pastures, lignum flats and saltbush where suitable native mallee and seed-producing ground cover are absent.

• Avoid treating recently regenerated vegetation as disposable simply because it contains few large trees.
• Retain older hollow-bearing trees and dead limbs within and beside work areas.
• Manage stock, rabbits and other grazing pressure so that native grasses and succulents can regenerate.

Foraging habitat: Food and feeding sites

The Scarlet-chested Parrot is primarily a ground-feeding seed eater. It forages in native mallee and Acacia shrublands, often where rain has produced a temporary flush of grass or spinifex seed.

The diet includes grass seeds, Triodia or spinifex seed, Acacia seed, herbaceous plant seed and succulent plant material. Spring native grass seed is important during breeding, while fallen spinifex seed has been recorded as an important winter food.

Birds feed on the ground or close to it. They may use burnt and regenerating areas, shallow flats between dunes and open mallee with seasonal grass cover. Records describe isolated pairs and small groups, with larger flocks possible outside the breeding season.

Main foods: Grass and spinifex seeds, Acacia seeds, herbaceous seeds and succulent plants

Breeding food: A spring flush of native grass seed

Winter food: Fallen spinifex seed has been recorded as important

Typical foraging period: From about one and a half hours after daylight to about one hour before nightfall

• Retain native grass, spinifex, Acacia and succulent plant communities beneath and between shrublands.
• Avoid grading, slashing or compacting open flats and dune swales that provide ground-foraging habitat.
• Inspect active work areas during the morning and late afternoon, when birds may be feeding, while recognising that no species-specific detection distance is provided.

Foraging habitat: Water and moisture

The species can occur far from water. Accounts differ on how it meets its moisture needs. Some observations indicate reliance on dew and succulent plants, while other observations record birds drinking at a dam or stock trough, particularly in hot weather.

Do not assume that a site without a mapped waterbody is unsuitable. Conversely, dams and troughs may attract birds temporarily and should be included in site inspections where nearby native shrubland remains.

• Record natural and artificial water points within or near the work area.
• Check troughs, dams and waterholes for visiting parrots before relocating or modifying them.
• Prevent sediment, pollutants and construction debris from entering water points used by wildlife.

Breeding habitat: Breeding biology

Breeding depends on both suitable seed-producing ground cover and available tree hollows. Breeding can begin after rain improves food availability and is concentrated in the warmer part of the year.

The female incubates the eggs and both adults feed the young. The species generally raises one brood per season in the wild, although two broods may occur under favourable conditions. Young leave the nest at about two months after brooding begins.

Breeding season: Mostly August to January; wild breeding commonly recorded from August to November

Clutch: Usually 4 to 6 eggs

Incubation: About 18 days

Nestling period: About 30 days; young may remain associated with the nest for about two months after incubation begins

Broods: Usually one brood in the wild; two may occur under good conditions

Age at maturity: About 3 years

Generation time: Estimated at 4.9 years; lifespan is not provided in the documents

• Treat hollow-bearing trees as potential nest trees during the breeding season, even if no bird is visible at the time of inspection.
• Protect nearby native ground cover because adults need seed-rich foraging habitat while feeding nestlings.
• Avoid disturbing active nest hollows and access routes to them until the breeding attempt has finished and the project ecologist has assessed the site.

Breeding habitat: Breeding habitat features

Nests are placed in hollows in mallee or mulga, with dead spouts and hollow limbs commonly used. Historical records also describe hollows in larger red gums, although mallee and mulga are the better-supported nest substrates.

The entrance may be about 1.2 to 4.6 m above ground in the documented mallee nesting observations. The nesting chamber may be about 0.3 to 1.2 m from the entrance. Up to five eggs were recorded in some nests in the field account, consistent with the broader clutch range reported in the status review.

Recorded nest entrance height: About 1.2 to 4.6 m above ground in documented mallee nests

Recorded nesting chamber position: About 0.3 to 1.2 m from the hollow entrance

Nest material: Usually decayed wood, wood dust or debris, with little or no added lining

• Retain hollow-bearing live trees, dead trees, dead spouts and large limbs in the clearing footprint and its immediate surrounds.
• Maintain access for adults between nest hollows and nearby seed-producing ground cover.
• Use a qualified fauna spotter catcher and project ecologist to inspect, manage and monitor any suspected active hollow.

Sheltering habitat: Hollows and trees

The main documented shelter and nesting resources are tree hollows in mallee and mulga. The species also blends into foliage and may rest in dense or stunted mallee, making visual detection difficult.

Scarlet-chested Parrots use hollow limbs, dead spouts and other tree hollows for nesting. Hollows may occur in mallee, mulga and, less commonly in the records, larger red gums. The documents do not provide a minimum entrance diameter or a reliable threshold for hollow suitability.

• Retain all hollow-bearing native trees and dead limbs where safe to do so.
• Do not remove a dead spout or hollow limb solely because it appears structurally poor without first assessing whether it is occupied or suitable for fauna.
• Inspect tree hollows from the ground and, where necessary, use an approved inspection method under the project fauna management plan.

Sheltering habitat: Cover and resting habitat

The birds can be well camouflaged in mallee. Green upperparts match healthy leaves, while the scarlet chest can resemble red twigs and dying leaves. Stunted mallee belts between sandhills, shallow flats and sparse spinifex provide the documented cover and feeding setting.

• Search slowly through mallee edges, open shrubland and recently regenerated areas rather than relying only on broad-area bird counts.
• Retain native shrub cover and avoid unnecessary trimming of mallee around access tracks and infrastructure.
• Include dead and dying trees in habitat mapping because they can provide both hollows and visual cover.

Threats: Clearing and fragmentation

The main project risks are removal of mallee and mulga, loss of hollow-bearing trees, disturbance during breeding, changes to native seed resources and altered fire or grazing regimes. The species' nomadic behaviour makes local impacts difficult to detect from short surveys.

Clearing has removed substantial mallee shrubland in parts of southern South Australia and north-western Victoria. Clearing and harvesting also reduce the availability of tree hollows. Fragmentation can remove feeding areas and separate hollows from the native ground cover needed to feed young.

The species can travel long distances and occupies a large range, but this does not remove the risk to small local groups or breeding sites. A site may be important during a short period after rain even if it is not occupied every year.

• Avoid clearing native mallee, mulga, gimlet and associated spinifex where practicable.
• Keep hollow-bearing trees, dead spouts and native seed-producing ground cover in connected retained patches.
• Schedule pre-clearance surveys to cover the breeding season and periods following rain where project timing allows.
• Use staged clearing and fauna spotter catcher controls where removal cannot be avoided.

Threats: Fire, grazing and vegetation change

The species often forages in recently burnt and regenerating areas, but frequent fire can prevent older vegetation stages and the formation of replacement hollows. Overgrazing by stock and rabbits can reduce native grasses and modify arid vegetation.

Weed invasion, pasture establishment and replacement of native ground cover can reduce access to the seed resources used for feeding.

• Do not use a single recent fire as evidence that an area has no habitat value.
• Protect retained patches from construction fire, accidental ignition, unnecessary slashing and repeated disturbance.
• Control grazing and rabbits where they are reducing native seed-producing plants.
• Rehabilitate disturbed areas with locally appropriate native grasses, spinifex, Acacia and other native plants identified for the site.

Threats: Predators, disease and water changes

Feral cats and European red foxes occur across the range and may prey on the species, although the level of predation is not known. Providing water for livestock may allow these predators to use areas that were previously too dry for them.

Psittacine beak and feather disease is widespread in Australia and is a potential risk to psittacine birds, although it has not been reported for the Scarlet-chested Parrot in the cited review. Illegal trapping was historically significant and may still occur at a low level.

• Keep construction compounds, food waste and water points managed so they do not attract cats, foxes or other predators.
• Do not capture, handle or retain birds except under the relevant wildlife authority approval and project procedures.
• Prevent contact between wild birds and captive or domestic parrots and apply hygiene controls where sick or dead psittacines are found.
• Avoid creating new permanent water points unless they are required and their predator and disease risks have been assessed.

Survey methodology: 1. Habitat assessment and transects

The Scarlet-chested Parrot is a nomadic, irruptive bird of dry inland mallee, mulga and gimlet shrublands, often with sparse spinifex. It can be absent for years and then occur in pairs, small groups or larger flocks after rain and food production, so surveys must combine habitat assessment with targeted searches and records from local observers.

Map mallee and mulga shrubland, gimlet woodland, spinifex hummock grassland, recently burned regenerating areas, succulent plants and mature trees with hollows before works begin.

Walk systematic transects through suitable habitat and inspect feeding areas for birds, calls, feathers, droppings, feeding traces and recent sightings.

Give priority to low fixed dunes, shallow flats, mallee belts and regenerating areas, which are documented habitat features for the species.

Record the transect length, width, date, start and finish times, weather, recent rainfall, vegetation condition, fire history and all detections.

Do not treat a failure to detect the species as evidence that it is absent, because the species is sparsely distributed and may move long distances between suitable areas.

Survey methodology: 2. Targeted daytime searches

Search from about one and a half hours after daylight, when birds have been observed arriving at feeding grounds, and continue through the morning where practicable.

Repeat searches late in the day, as birds have been observed leaving feeding grounds about one hour before nightfall.

Search during or after suitable rain when native grasses, Triodia, Acacia and succulent plants are producing food, because abundance and breeding are linked to rainfall and food availability.

Use quiet observation points near mallee and spinifex feeding habitat, water points, regenerating areas and known or reported records.

Look for small green parrots feeding on the ground, usually singly, in pairs or in groups of fewer than 10 birds, while remaining alert for larger non-breeding flocks.

Record the sex and age class where possible, flock size, behaviour, direction of travel, habitat, GPS location and photographs or sound recordings where permitted.

Survey methodology: 3. Breeding habitat and hollow inspection

Inspect mature mallee, mulga and other woodland trees for hollow limbs and spouts that could provide nest sites.

Search for breeding activity from August to January, with timing expected to follow rain and the resulting seed supply.

Inspect hollows from the ground first and use an appropriately qualified arborist or other authorised specialist where closer inspection is needed.

Record each hollow's tree species, approximate height, entrance position and condition, but do not climb, block, probe or open a hollow solely to confirm occupancy.

Treat a hollow as potentially occupied where fresh nesting material, adult behaviour, begging young, feathers, droppings or repeated bird activity is present.

Survey methodology: Minimum effort and reporting

• There is no species-specific survey effort guideline in the supplied documents, so set effort in the fauna survey plan to cover all mapped mallee, mulga, gimlet and spinifex habitat, all hollow-bearing trees and habitat affected by the proposal.
• Repeat targeted searches where habitat is suitable but no birds are detected, particularly after rain, during the August to January breeding period and where local records indicate an irruption or recent occurrence.
• Document the area searched, transect distances, observation periods, weather, rainfall context, observers, detection and non-detection results, photographs and GPS tracks.
• Submit confirmed records and reliable non-detections or survey information to the relevant state or territory wildlife database, and provide records to the project environmental authority.
• Use the current state or territory fauna survey, handling, relocation and reporting requirements for the project area.

Before habitat disturbance: Avoid and minimise

Plan the project around the species' dependence on intact mallee and mulga shrubland, ground food resources and tree hollows. A lack of recent records does not remove the need to manage suitable habitat, because the species is nomadic and irruptive.

• Redesign the disturbance footprint to retain connected patches of mallee, mulga, gimlet and spinifex habitat, including regenerating areas and mature hollow-bearing trees.
• Retain native grass seed sources, Acacia and succulent plants near retained shrubland, and avoid replacing native feeding habitat with pasture or cleared ground.
• Avoid clearing hollow-bearing trees wherever practicable, because tree hollows are used for nesting and may limit breeding habitat.
• Avoid creating isolated retained patches where a connected alternative can be retained within the project area.
• Keep machinery, vehicle tracks, stockpiles and spoil out of retained habitat and identified feeding areas.

Before habitat disturbance: Approvals and work planning

• Confirm the species' status in the project state or territory before works, including the supplied listings of Vulnerable in New South Wales, Endangered in Victoria and Near Threatened in the Northern Territory.
• The species is not listed under the EPBC Act in the supplied information, but check the current protected matters and referral requirements before finalising the footprint.
• Obtain any required state or territory wildlife, clearing, handling, relocation, nest or tree-removal approvals before works begin.
• Schedule the most disruptive clearing outside August to January where practicable, and avoid clearing when active breeding is detected.
• Stage works so that retained habitat remains connected and fauna can move away from each work area before the next stage begins.
• Prepare a fauna management plan that identifies survey results, exclusion areas, hollow-bearing trees, stop-work triggers, authorised personnel, escalation contacts and reporting requirements.

Before habitat disturbance: Site preparation

• Complete a pre-clearance survey immediately before works and update the habitat map with any new birds, nests, hollows, feeding areas or movement routes.
• Mark retained vegetation, hollow-bearing trees, nest trees, exclusion zones and fauna access routes in the field before machinery arrives.
• Install exclusion fencing where it can prevent machinery or people entering retained habitat without blocking the movement of birds into safe retained areas.
• Brief machinery operators and contractors on the species' appearance, the location of exclusion zones, daily inspection requirements and the stop-work procedure.
• Arrange a licensed or otherwise authorised fauna spotter catcher, suitable wildlife containers, a safe temporary holding area, a wildlife carer or veterinarian contact and a record system before clearing starts.

During habitat disturbance: Daily controls and machinery interface

Use active supervision during every clearing shift. The fauna spotter catcher must have enough time and authority to inspect vegetation, stop machinery and manage any animal or occupied hollow safely.

• Inspect the work area each morning for birds, fresh activity, damaged exclusion fencing, newly exposed hollows and animals sheltering in vegetation or debris.
• Keep the fauna spotter catcher in direct communication with the operator and position machinery so the spotter can see the next tree, shrub or debris item before it is disturbed.
• Clear vegetation in stages toward retained habitat where safe, allowing mobile birds to move away from machinery rather than becoming trapped against the work boundary.
• Stop machinery immediately when the spotter catcher calls a stop, when an animal enters the exclusion zone or when an occupied hollow, nest or injured animal is found.
• Do not allow workers to chase, net or handle the parrot unless they are authorised and competent under the relevant state or territory requirements.

During habitat disturbance: Hollows and habitat features

• Recheck hollow-bearing trees immediately before felling or pruning, particularly during August to January and after recent bird activity has been recorded.
• Do not fell a hollow-bearing tree until the spotter catcher and the person responsible for fauna management have confirmed that required checks and approvals are complete.
• Inspect felled hollow-bearing material and tree sections for birds, eggs, nestlings and other fauna before cutting, moving or mulching them.
• Leave suitable hollow-bearing sections on the ground or retain them in an approved safe location where this is required by the fauna management plan.
• Inspect logs, branches, rocks, dense shrubs and other cover before removal, and keep them intact where they form part of retained habitat.
• Do not disturb nearby retained mallee, mulga, spinifex or succulent plants to create access unless that disturbance is authorised and recorded.

During habitat disturbance: Animal found, injury and stop-work response

• Stop work in the immediate area and establish a quiet exclusion zone if a Scarlet-chested Parrot is found.
• Allow an uninjured bird to leave unaided to nearby retained habitat where it can move safely, unless an authorised wildlife professional directs otherwise.
• Use only approved capture, containment and transport methods, and limit handling to trained and authorised personnel.
• Do not attempt to band, examine, feed or treat the bird on site unless the person has the required authority and training.
• Place an injured or grounded bird in an appropriate dark, secure container and transfer it promptly to an authorised wildlife carer or veterinarian, following state or territory requirements.
• Stop work and obtain ecological advice if an active nest, nestling, egg, repeated adult attendance at a hollow, multiple birds trapped in the work area or an unexpected concentration of birds is found.
• Record the location, time, condition, behaviour, identification, action taken, personnel involved, photographs and final outcome for every interaction.

After habitat disturbance: Post-clearance checks

Post-clearance checks should confirm that no birds, nests or injured fauna remain in the work area and that retained habitat controls are still effective. Monitoring should account for the species' intermittent occurrence and movement after rain.

• Inspect the cleared area, retained vegetation edge, felled tree sections, debris piles and access routes at the end of each clearing stage and again before the area is released to construction crews.
• Check for trapped or injured birds, displaced nest contents, damaged hollows, broken exclusion fencing and unapproved entry into retained habitat.
• Remove or manage hazards such as open trenches, netting, unsecured containers, exposed tree cavities and accumulations of waste that could trap fauna.
• Keep retained habitat and exclusion controls in place until the environmental representative confirms that construction no longer threatens the identified habitat.

After habitat disturbance: Monitoring and reporting

• Monitor retained mallee, mulga, gimlet and spinifex habitat during construction and after rehabilitation, with additional searches after useful rainfall and during August to January where the risk assessment requires it.
• Compare records with the pre-clearance baseline, including bird detections, flock size, feeding activity, breeding activity, hollow condition, vegetation loss and the condition of retained connections.
• Report all sightings, injuries, deaths, nest discoveries, stop-work events, relocations, unauthorised clearing and control failures to the project environmental officer and the relevant regulator where required.
• Submit confirmed records to the relevant state or territory wildlife database and retain GPS data, photographs, survey effort and fauna handling records with the project file.

After habitat disturbance: Corrective action and offsets

• Repair exclusion fencing, restore damaged retained habitat and review work methods after any fauna incident or control failure.
• Apply any approved offset, restoration or compensation measure required by the project approval or state legislation, giving preference to protection and restoration of suitable mallee and mulga habitat with hollow-bearing trees.
• Do not treat an offset as a substitute for avoiding clearing of occupied or high-quality habitat.

Rehabilitation actions: Recreate habitat structure

Rehabilitation should recreate the dry inland structure and food resources used by the species, rather than simply planting a generic native cover. Allow for slow development of tree hollows and the species' dependence on rainfall-driven seed production.

• Re-establish locally appropriate mallee Eucalyptus, Acacia mulga, gimlet where locally relevant, native grasses including Triodia where it formed part of the pre-disturbance community, and native succulent plants.
• Use local provenance seed or plants where required by the project approval and match species selection to the original soil, dune, flat and drainage conditions.
• Retain and protect surviving mature trees and hollow-bearing trees because replacement trees will not provide equivalent hollows in the short term.
• Reinstate coarse woody debris, logs and suitable fallen hollow sections where they were part of the original habitat and can be placed safely.
• Maintain connected shrubland between retained habitat patches and revegetated areas so birds can move through the project area.

Rehabilitation actions: Hollows, fire and threats

• Install nest boxes only where a site assessment shows a shortage of suitable hollows and the fauna management plan or approval supports their use.
• Design and position any nest boxes under advice from a qualified bird ecologist, and inspect them under an approved monitoring protocol.
• Manage weeds and grazing so native grasses, Acacia seed sources, succulents and regenerating mallee can establish.
• Control feral cats and foxes in accordance with approved threat management programs and project obligations, especially where rehabilitation concentrates birds or other prey.
• Plan fire regimes with the responsible land manager to retain recently burned regenerating forage while also protecting older vegetation stages needed for hollow formation.
• Avoid repeated fire through the same rehabilitation area before shrubs mature and hollow-bearing trees can develop.

Rehabilitation actions: Success measures and monitoring

• Set measurable targets for survival and cover of planted mallee, Acacia, gimlet, Triodia and succulent species, weed cover, grazing damage, retained hollow condition and connectivity between habitat patches.
• Inspect rehabilitation after rain and during the August to January breeding period for feeding birds, pairs, flocks, nesting activity and use of restored habitat.
• Record monitoring effort, rainfall context, bird detections, flock size, feeding behaviour, nest-box or hollow use, vegetation condition and predator or weed activity.
• Continue corrective planting, weed control, grazing management, erosion repair and predator control until the approved rehabilitation criteria are met.
• Report rehabilitation results and any Scarlet-chested Parrot records to the project environmental authority and the relevant state or territory wildlife database.

Sources

• ABBBS Recommended Band Size List, Australian Government DCCEEW: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/band-size-list-may-2018.pdf
• [PDF] The Scarlet-chested Parrot N eophema splendida - Birdlife, BirdLife Australia: https://afo.birdlife.org.au/afo/index.php/afo/article/viewFile/1725/1465
• Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 64 (Wednesday, April 5, 2017) 2017 Federal Register, 82 FR 16522-16540; Centralized Library: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service -, fws.gov: https://www.fws.gov/policy/library/2017/2017-06663.html