Not sure how many people have seen one of these guys. It was my dads birds that he dropped off over the weekend together with his last lovie. They're an Australian native parrot about 35cm in length. Males and females are similar except the female is slightly duller and often has a narrower head and bill. Without another one to compare I'm going to assume that Mallee is a boy.

I've never heard of them, let alone seen one! They're gorgeous though!

Gorgeous!! They look like those Austrailian Grass Parakeets. Are they similar?

They are Australian Ringnecks, gorgeous, huh!

What a beauty; thanks for sharing!

Calvin's Mom, they are a member of the grass parakeet group. These birds are also known as broadtailed parakeets. They are also known as Barnard's parakeets or ringnecks. Their Latin name is Barnardius barnardii. There are three or so species in the genus. All are similar in size and all have yellow rings near the nape of the necks that partially encircle the neck. They are not related to the Indian ringnecks or moustache parakeets. If you're interested in learning more about Australian grass parakeetts, you might want to start with The New Australian Parakeet Handbook by Matthew Vriends, Ph.D. It is a good primer on these beautiful birds.