A study skin of the rare Night Parrot Pezoporus occidentalis. This particular specimen was collected by F.G. Waterhouse in the Gawler Ranges, South Australia. While the exact date is unknown, it was thought to have been collected around 1880.Researchers studying the breeding habits of a rare bird have zeroed in on North West Queensland.
In 2006, a dead night parrot was located near Cloncurry, one of only 24 specimens ever found.
Now, the CSIRO's Leo Joseph and a team of scientists are planning to study the North West Queensland region more closely to track the breeding of the parrot.
"The most we can say is that the bird that was found dead in 2006 appears to have been a very young female bird," he says.
"So while things didn't work out so well for that individual obviously, nonetheless there's evidence that the night parrots were breeding probably around late-2005."
Night Parrot distribution and recent sightings