Adelaide Rosellas
Adelaide Rosella
I’d just driven out of the driveway this morning on the way to Adelaide when four parrots flew across the road in front of the car. I immediately noticed that they were Adelaide Rosellas, a species not all that common around our house and garden. In fact, they are only occasional visitors here in Murray Bridge.
Adelaide Rosellas, a sub-species of the common Crimson Rosella, are found throughout the Mt Lofty Ranges near Adelaide, as well as in the lower north of South Australia. There are considerable colour variations in different parts of their range, from bright orange through to a washed out orange. The Crimson Rosella (shown below) is much brighter, being quite a deep crimson.
I didn’t have time to stop to take a photo; I was on my way to Adelaide to attend a lecture. And I didn’t have my camera with me anyway. Maybe some other time they will pose for me when I have the camera within easy reach – or even in my hand.
Crimson Rosella, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra
They do look like crimson rosellas that have been left too long in the sun!
I just love Adelaide Rosellas. This morning I was watching 2 pairs in King William Street, Adelaide whilst waiting for a bus. It is wonderful to see such beautiful birds in the city centre. I live along Brownhill Creek and there are many Adelaide Rosellas around at the moment. They seem to be very happy with the wet weather and the winter. The Adelaide Rosellas seem so much more vocal and lively compared to the Eastern Rosellas that I see locally. The Easterns seem to prefer a quieter existence. I viewed an exhibition about John Gould, the famous ornithologist who collected specimens of Adelaide Rosellas in the 19th Century. It is wonderful that they still exist in their limited range. Lets hope that the old River Red Gums are replanted and the rosellas have plenty of nest sites to choose from.
Thanks for visiting Brenton, and for leaving some comments. My experience of the Easterns is similar – they do tend to be quieter on the whole.
Interestingly, I only discovered recently from a reader of this blog that the Eastern Rosella is an introduced species in the Adelaide region.