
How rare is the Western Ground Parrot?
The Western Ground Parrot (WGP) is fourth on the list of the rare parrots of mainland Australia. It is Western Australia's most endangered endemic parrot. Although the Night Parrot has been recorded from Western Australia, it was not restricted to WA.
The Night Parrot is both extremely scarce and elusive. Most records were prior to 1880. A dead bird was found in western Queensland in 1990. The primary recovery action of the recovery plan written during the 1990s has not been accomplished. It is 'Locate Night Parrots'.
So by comparison the situation for Western Ground Parrots is not quite so grim. They are more sedentary and a little more numerous. It is not too late for focussed Recovery Actions to be set in motion.
Evidence of Decline in Western Australia
The range of the WGP has greatly diminished in WA since European settlement. They used to occur along the coastal plan as far north as Dongara but were gone before the 1900s. Prior to 1914, early settlers around Denmark had noted their decline there (Whitlock 1914). Now the birds occur only east of Albany.
One clue as to the previous distribution is that there are several aboriginal names for the birds. These were published by Serventy and Whittell in 1948. Early bird enthusiasts were helped a great deal by the aboriginals and recorded the bird names that they used.
Western Ground Parrot's Family
The closest relative that is not a Ground Parrot is the Night Parrot, which is now classified as of the same genus as the Ground Parrot (Pezoporus). They are different species. There are three subspecies of Ground Parrot :
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The Tasmanian Ground Parrot is least endangered, and is most common in south west Tasmania
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The Eastern Ground Parrot occurs in fragmented populations near the coast in southern Queensland, NSW and Victoria and is considered vulnerable. There are estimated to be 4000 breeding birds. It has become extinct in South Australia
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The Western Ground Parrot
The New Zealand Kakapo looks rather like a giant Ground Parrot. The Ground Parrot is less closely related to the Kakapo than to the Budgerigar and to parrots of the genus Neophema such as the Orange-bellied Parrot and the Elegant Parrot. (Christidis and Boles 1994)
http://birdswa.iinet.net.au/projects/wgp/wgp.htm <<< for more info