How to see a Western Ground Parrot
Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 2:13 
The Western Ground Parrot is endangered and numbers are at a critical low. (Brent Barrett, DEC - ABC Local Radio)If you've ever been to the Fitzgerald or Cape Arid national parks after sunset you might have been surprised to hear a high pitched whistle piping through the darkness.
It's a rare thing to hear and you're lucky if you do - this is the call of a very scarce and elusive parrot.
It's not yet a case of calling it an 'ex-parrot' but Western Ground Parrot numbers are dangerously low.
There are hardly any photos of them - the first one wasn't taken until 2004.
They only call at certain times of the day and don't fly unless they're flushed out of their heathland home.
So how do researchers find out where the populations are and how many parrots are actually left?
Abby Berryman took time out from her research to tell Emily Powell the best way to spot a Ground Parrot, while Anne Bondin spoke about the new and official Friends of the Western Ground Parrot group.
Western Ground Parrot call supplied by the Department of Environment and Conservation.