Data Zone
Justification of Red List category
This species is assessed as Endangered as it has a very small, decreasing population, within which changes in the burning regime and the introduction of cattle to the region have resulted in a long-term population decline, which is continuing despite intensive conservation efforts.
Population justification
Currently, about 629–933 Golden-shouldered Parrots occur in the Morehead River area, and 148–168 occur in the Staaten River area (Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team unpublished, in Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team 2021).
Trend justification
The contraction in range in the Morehead catchment area suggests a suspected reduction of about 12% over the last three generations (Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team unpublished, in Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team 2021).
Psephotellus chrysopterygius is endemic to southern and central Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. Golden-shouldered Parrots are currently known to breed in the headwaters of the Morehead and Staaten Rivers and nearby catchments. Although these breeding areas are separated by about 200 km, dispersal between them is considered likely given the number of what are now thought to be dispersing birds in the coastal lowlands west of the Great Dividing Range, as area unsuitable for breeding because it floods so regularly (Crowley and Preece 2019). These include the earliest records from east of Normanton, 200 km south-west of Staaten River (1855), and at Aurukun, 150 km north-west of Coen (1913). They are previously known to have bred north of Coen in the 1920s, at Silver Plains until the 1950s and Violtevale until the 1970s. The range is continuing to contract (Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team 2019).
Golden-shouldered Parrots nest during the early dry season in holes they excavate in large terrestrial termite mounds on or near grassy areas with impeded drainage within savannah woodland. They feed primarily on grasses supplemented with legumes and other seeds depending on availability and nutritional needs when breeding. After breeding they aggregate in small flocks which persist until the start of the wet season when they congregate near nesting Black-faced Woodswallows Artamus cinerea, which alert the parrots to the presence of predators at a time when food is scarce, and they have less time to be vigilant (Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team 2019). Through the wet season the species switches foods continually, feeding through most of the daylight hours. It nests late in the wet season and lays an average of six eggs, which hatch early in the dry season when seeds are abundant (Levy 2004). The species is potentially limited by the availability of nest sites, as they rarely re-use the same mound once the termites have repaired the damage with tougher material, and new termite mounds are very slow to build up (Levy 2004).
The primary reason for the decline of the species has been because Indigenous traditional owners have been unable to fulfil their cultural obligations to Country. Traditional management has until recently largely been displaced by the grazing of cattle, often at densities that have led to a loss of the grasses the parrots require in the wet season and which provide fuel for fires that maintain an open structure in the woodlands. The altered vegetation structure would appear to have favoured parrot predators like Pied Butcherbirds Cracticus nigrogularis and disadvantaged woodswallows that serve as sentinels. Predation of adults is a major cause of nest failure, with almost one third of nests losing one or more adults. These effects have been compounded by the active removal of dingoes Canis dingo, a culturally important species, potentially leading to increases in the density of smaller predators, including cats Felis catus and perhaps goannas Varanus spp., as well as agile wallabies Macropus agilis and introduced pigs Sus scrofa, which destroy both wet season foods and knock over large termite mounds. Eventually, both termite mounds and parrots disappear from the landscape (Golden-shouldered Parrot Recovery Team 2019).
Conservation Actions Underway
Listed as threatened under appropriate legislation, including as a National Threatened Species Strategy priority. CITES Appendix I and II. Management actions completed or underway include an analysis of threats, changing fire regimes and vegetation change, annual monitoring and supplementary feeding of the population at Artemis Station, surveys of populations and nests in the remainder of the range, fencing and implementation of favourable fire regimes on leasehold land, signing of a conservation agreement with land-holders, inclusion of conservation requirements for the species in property planning in central Cape York Peninsula and initiation of favourable fire management in National Parks. Research is being carried out to assess whether the fencing-off of areas will prevent feral pigs from damaging termite mounds when they are foraging (Levy 2004). Traditional owners are regaining control of the management of much of their Country. Supplementary food is provided in a small part of the range. Some areas are formally conserved.
23-28 cm. Slender parrot. Adult male predominantly turquoise with black cap and pale yellow frontal band, and salmon-pink lower belly, vent thighs and undertail-coverts, conspicuously scaled off-white. Grey-brown saddle and upper wing with diagnostic, bright yellow shoulder-band. Adult female predominantly dull greenish-yellow, broad cream bar on underwing, prominent in flight. Juvenile similar to adult female, best distinguished at fledging by orange bill and cere. Voice Generally quiet and unobtrusive with variety of chirruping calls and soft whistles. Hints Contact cattle-stations in range with known breeding populations for permission to visit.
Text account compilers
Vine, J., Berryman, A.
Contributors
Garnett, S.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Golden-shouldered Parrot Psephotellus chrysopterygius. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/golden-shouldered-parrot-psephotellus-chrysopterygius on 26/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/11/2024.