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(Platycercus – flat or broad tail – elegans – fine, elegant or handsome)

With their vivid colours and inquisitive temperament, a visit from a gathering of crimson rosellas is always a delight.

They tend to arrive in pairs or small flocks, providing a burst of colour on the dullest of days. When larger groups land on nearby tree branches, their chatter sounds like gentle scolding, peppered with sweet, bell-like notes.

Rosellas are medium-sized parrots, and several species and subspecies can be spotted along the eastern coast of Australia, as well as in South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. There are colour variations, including green, yellow and a pale-headed rosella, found from Queensland to northern NSW. The name “rosella” is an alteration of Rose Hill (the original name for Parramatta in the early colony of New South Wales), which is where the birds were first seen by colonists. They were called Rose Hill parrots, transitioning to ‘Rosehiller’ then rosella.

The Crimson Rosella is the most frequently recorded parrot in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage area. Adult birds are crimson and blue, and immature birds are speckled with green feathers among the blue and crimson. Males are slightly larger than females.

Rosellas eat seeds, fruit and flowers, and can be spotted feeding in trees, shrubs and on the ground. They are inquisitive and can be found in gardens, parks and bushland. The birds shown above were seen visiting a neighbouring garden, along with a red-browed finch.

Crimson rosellas are regular visitors to my garden. There is something about their curious nature, the way they waddle around the garden, and appear on branches like living baubles, that always brightens my day.

Forest dweller, crimson clad,
Bright bird of the sun

The Crimson Parrot, poem by C J Dennis

You can find out more about crimson rosellas here, and there is some great footage showing some varieties of rosellas along with interesting facts here. Have you come across any rosellas in your garden?

Photo: Crimson Rosella in the garden