Australian Ringneck
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2008-07-16T18:05:14Z
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{{Taxobox
| name = Australian Ringneck
| status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref =<ref name="iucn">{{IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=47973|title=Barnardius zonarius|downloaded=11 May 2006}}</ref>
| image = Port_Lincoln_parrot_at_Augusta_profile.jpg
| image_caption = Intermediate between ''B. Z. zonarius'' and ''B. Z. semitorquatus'' near [[Augusta, Western Australia]]
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
| classis = [[bird|Aves]]
| ordo = [[Psittaciformes]]
| familia = [[Psittacidae]]
| subfamilia = [[Platycercinae]]
| tribus = [[Platycercini]]
| genus = '''''Barnardius'''''
| genus_authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1854
| species = '''''B. zonarius'''''
| binomial = ''Barnardius zonarius''
| binomial_authority = ([[George Shaw|Shaw]], 1805)
| synonyms =
''Barnardius barnardi'' <small>([[Nicholas Aylward Vigors|Vigors]] & [[Thomas Horsfield|Horsfield]], 1827)</small>
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision =
''B. z. zonarius''<br>
''B. z. semitorquatus''<br>
''B. z. barnardi''<br>
''B. z. macgillivrayi''<br>
}}
The '''Australian Ringneck''' (''Barnardius zonarius'') is a [[parrot]] native to all mainland [[Australia]]n states. Except for extreme tropical and highland areas the species has adapted to all conditions. Traditionally, two species were recognised in the genus ''Barnardius'', the '''Port Lincoln Parrot''' (''Barnardius zonarius'') and the '''Mallee Ringneck''' (''Barnardius barnardi''),<ref name=forshaw>{{cite book | first= Joseph M.| last= Forshaw| coauthors= Cooper, William T.|year= 1981|origyear=1973, 1978|edition=corrected second edition| title= Parrots of the World|publisher=David & Charles, Newton Abbot, London|id=ISBN 0-7153-7698-5}}</ref> but the two species readily interbred at the contact zone and are now considered one species.<ref>Christidis, L. & Boles, W.E. (1994). The Taxonomy and Species of Birds of Australia and its Territories. Hawthorn East, Victoria : Royal Ornithologists Union Monograph Vol. 2 112 pp.</ref><ref name=Joseph>Joseph, L. & Wilke, T. 2006. [http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/96/paper/MU05035.htm Molecular resolution of population history, systematics and historical biogeography of the Australian ringneck parrots ''Barnardius'': are we there yet?] ''Emu'' 106: 49-62</ref> Currently, four [[subspecies]] are recognised, each with a distinct range.
In [[Western Australia]], the Ringneck competes for nesting space with the [[Rainbow Lorikeet]], an introduced species. To protect the Ringneck, culls of the lorikeet are sanctioned by authorities in this region. Overall, though, the Ringneck is not a threatened species.
==Description==
The subspecies of the Australian Ringneck differ considerably in colouration.<ref name=forshaw/> It is a medium size species around 33 cm (11 [[inch|in]]) long. The basic colour is green, and all four subspecies have the characteristic yellow ring around the hindneck; wings and tail are a mixture of green and blue.
The ''B. z. zonarius'' and ''B. z. semitorquatus'' subspecies have a dull black head; back, rump and wings are brilliant green; throat and breast bluish-green. The difference between these two subspecies is that ''B. z. zonarius'' has a yellow abdomen while ''B. z. semitorquatus'' has a green abdomen; the latter has also a prominent crimson frontal band that the former lacks (the intermediate shown in the taxobox has characteristics of both subspecies).<ref name ="Simpson&Day"/> The two other subspecies differ from these subspecies by the bright green crown and nape and blush cheek-patches. The underparts of ''B. z. barnardi'' are turquoise-green with an irregular orange-yellow band across the abdomen; the back and mantle are deep blackish-blue and this subspecies has a prominent red frontal band. The ''B. z. macgillivrayi'' is generally pale green, with no red frontal band, and a wide uniform pale yellow band across the abdomen.<ref name ="Simpson&Day">''Field Guide to the Birds of Australia - A book of identification'' Simpson and Day, (1993) pp.144 ISBN 0 670 90670 0</ref>
The calls of the Malee Ringneck and Conclurry Parrot have been described as "ringing",<ref name ="Simpson&Day"/> and the calls of the Port Lincoln Ringneck and Twenty-eight have been described as "strident".<ref name ="Simpson&Day"/> The name of the Twenty-eight Parrot is an [[Onomatopoeia|onomatopoeic]] derived from its distinctive 'twentee-eight' call.
==Taxonomy and naming==
The Australian Ringneck was first described by the [[English people|English]] [[naturalist]] [[George Shaw]] in 1805. It is a [[Broad-tailed parrot]] and related to the rosellas of the genus ''[[Platycercus]]'' and has been placed in that genus by some authorities.
Currently, four subspecies of Ringneck are recognised, all of which have been described as distinct species in the past:<ref name=Joseph/><ref name=AusGov>{{cite web |url=http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/abrs/fauna/details.pl?pstrVol=AVES&pstrTaxa=1169&pstrChecklistMode=2 |title=Barnardius zonarius (Shaw, 1805) |accessdate=2007-11-07 |work=Australian Biological Resources Study:}}</ref> (As of 1993, the Twenty-eight and Conclurry Parrot were treated as subspecies of the Port Lincoln Parrot and the Mallee Ringneck, respectively)<ref name ="Simpson&Day"/>
The classification of this species is still debated, and recent molecular research has found that all subspecies are very closely related.<ref name=Joseph/> Several other subspecies have been described, but are considered synonyms with one of the above subspecies. ''B. z. occidentalis'' has been synomised with ''B. z. zonarius''.<ref>Schodde, R. & Mason, I.J. (1997) [[Aves]] ([[Columbidae]] to [[Coraciidae]]). In, Houston, W.W.K. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, Australia Vol. 37.2 xiii 440 pp.</ref> Intermediates exist between all subspecies except for between ''B. z. zonarius'' and ''B. z. macgillivrayi''.<ref name=Joseph/><ref>Ford, J. (1987) Hybrid Zones in Australian Birds. Emu 87: 158-178</ref>
===Subspecies===
{| width = 98% class="wikitable"
! align="center" style="background-color: #D3D3A4" colspan ="4" |'''Subspecies'''
|-
! width = "20%" |Common and binomial names
! Image
! align="center"|Description
! width = "28%" |Range
|-
|Twenty-eight Parrot
|rowspan="2"|<center>[[Image:Barnardius zonarius semitorquatus -2c.jpg|500x180px]]</center>
|rowspan="2"|Identification: The red band and green belly distinguishes it from the Port Lincoln Parrot.
|rowspan="2"|Found in the south western forests of coastal and subcoastal Western Australia.<ref>Lendon, p. 166</ref>
|-
| ''B. z. semitorquatus''<br><small>([[Jean René Constant Quoy|Quoy]] & [[Joseph Paul Gaimard|Gaimard]], 1830)</small>
|-
|Port Lincoln Parrot or<br>Port Lincoln Ringneck
|rowspan="2"|<center>[[Image:Barnardius zonarius (Wroclaw zoo)-1.JPG|500x180px]]</center>
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|Common from [[Port Lincoln, South Australia|Port Lincoln]] in the south east to [[Alice Springs]] in the north east, and from the Karri and Tingle forests of South Western Australia up to the [[Pilbara]] district.<ref>Lendon, p. 161</ref>
|-
| ''B. z. zonarius''<br><small>([[George Shaw|Shaw]], 1805)<br></small>
|-
|Cloncurry Parrot
|rowspan="2"|<center>[[Image:Barnardius zonarius macgillivrayi - Buffalo Zoo.jpg|500x180px]]</center>
|rowspan="2"|Identification: The yellow belly, lighter green colour and lack of red band distinguishes it from the Mallee Ringneck.
|rowspan="2"|Found from the [[Lake Eyre]] basin in the [[Northern Territory]] to the [[Gulf Country]] of northwestern Queensland, from [[Burketown, Queensland|Burketown]] south to [[Boulia, Queensland|Boulia]], with [[Kynuna, Queensland|Kynuna]] and [[Camooweal, Queensland|Camooweel]] as eastern and western limits respectively.<ref>Lendon, p. 157</ref>
|-
|''B. z. macgillivrayi''<br><small>([[Alfred John North|North]], 1900)</small>
|-
|Mallee Ringneck
|rowspan="2"|<center>[[Image:Mallee Ringneck Bowra-2c.jpg|500x180px]]</center>
|rowspan="2"|
|rowspan="2"|Inhabits central and western [[New South Wales]] west of [[Dubbo]], the southwestern corner [[Queensland]] west of [[St George, Queensland|St George]], eastern [[South Australia]] and northwestern [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]].<ref>Lendon, p. 152-52</ref>
|-
|''B. z. barnardi''<br><small>([[Nicholas Aylward Vigors|Vigors]] & [[Thomas Horsfield|Horsfield]], 1827)</small>
|}
==Conservation status==
Although the species is endemic,<ref>[http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/register/p00820af.pdf Tropical Topics]</ref> the species is considered not threatened,<ref name="iucn"/> but in Western Australia, the Twenty-eight subspecies (''B. z. semitorquatus'') gets locally displaced by the introduced [[Rainbow Lorikeet]]s that aggressively compete for nesting places.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pls/portal30/docs/FOLDER/IKMP/PW/VP/BIRD/LORIKEETMISCPUB.PDF |title=The status and imapct of the Rainbow Lorikett (Trichoglossus haematodus moluccanus) in South-West Western Australia |accessdate=2007-11-08 |format=PDF |work= Wildlife Branch, Department of Conservation and Land Management|author=Tamra Chapman}}</ref> The Rainbow Lorikeet is considered a pest species in Western Australia and is subject to eradication in the wild.<ref name=WA_gov> [http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/pw/vp/bird/pn2006_rainbcontrol_mmassam.pdf Rainbow lorikeet management options]. Retrieved [[7 November]],[[2007]].</ref>
==Behaviour==
The Australian Ringneck is active during the day and can be found in [[Eucalyptus|eucalypt]] woodlands and eucalypt-lined watercourses. The species is gregarious and depending on the conditions can be resident or nomadic. As with most parrots, it nests in tree cavities.<ref>[http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/finder/display.cfm?id=362 Australian Ringneck] [[Australian Museum]]</ref> In trials of growing hybrid eucalypt trees in dry environments parrots, especially the Pork Lincoln Parrot, caused severe damage to the crowns of the younger trees during the research period between 2000–3.<ref>[http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/AFT/04-021.pdf Eucalypt hybrids in south-west Western Australia]</ref>
===Feeding===
This species eats a wide range of foods that include nectar, insects, seeds, fruit, and native and introduced bulbs. It will eat orchard-grown fruit, and is sometimes seen as a pest by farmers.<ref name=forshaw/><ref>[http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/LWE/VEGT/TREES/TREENOTE26.htm Department of Agriculture, Western Australia]: Parrot damage in agroforestry in the greater than 450 mm rainfall zone of Western Australia. retrieved [[7 November]], [[2007]].</ref>
===Breeding===
Breeding season for the Northern populations starts in June or July, while the central and southern populations breed from August to February but this can be delayed when climatic conditions are unfavourable. The nesting site is a hollow in a tree trunk. Generally four or five white oval eggs are laid measuring 29 mm x 23 mm, although a clutch may be as few as three and as many as six.<ref name=Ber03>{{cite book | last = Beruldsen | first = G | title = Australian Birds: Their Nests and Eggs | publisher = self | date = 2003 | location = Kenmore Hills, Qld | pages = p. 247| isbn = 0-646-42798-9}}</ref>
==In captivity==
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The Australian Ringneck can suffer from [[Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease]], which causes a high nestling mortality rate in captivity.<ref>[http://fedlaw.gov.au/ComLaw/Legislation/LegislativeInstrument1.nsf/framelodgmentattachments/81FCCCA0AB589760CA25718E00044623 THREAT ABATEMENT PLAN for Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease Affecting Endangered Psittacine Species]</ref> Data collected for 2002–3 by the [[National Parks and Wildlife]] South Australia indicate that in the local captive population more Australian Ringnecks died than were bred.<ref>[http://www.parks.sa.gov.au/fauna_permits/species/index.htm Fauna Permits - Species Kept]</ref> In Western Australia, a license is required to keep or dispose of more than four Port Lincoln Ringnecks.<ref name ="Economic Use">[http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/NAP/97-26.pdf Sustainable Economic Use of Native Australian Birds and Reptiles] February 1997</ref> All four subspecies are sold in the [[Canary Islands]] and in Australia,<ref name ="Economic Use"/> and are traded via the [[CITES]] convention.<ref>[http://www.ssn.org/Meetings/cop/cop12/Proposals/SNNDigest_SP12_EN.pdf CITES Digest, November 2002]</ref> The sale of the Cloncurry Parrot is restricted in Queensland.<ref>[http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/SLS/1997/97SL436.pdf NATURE CONSERVATION LEGISLATION AMENDMENT REGULATION (No. 2) 1997]</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
===Cited text===
*{{cite book |title=Australian Parrots in Field and Aviary (2nd. ed) |last=Lendon |first=Alan H.|year=1973 |publisher=Angus and Robertson |location=Sydney |isbn=0-207-12424-8}}
==Further reading==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|Australian_Ringneck.ogg|2007-05-13}}
* ''[[The Atlas of Australian Birds]]'', Blakers, Davies & Reilly, (1984) ISBN 0-522-84285-2
* ''Photographic Field Guide to Birds of Australia'', Jim Flegg, (2002) ISBN 1-876334-78-9
*[[John Gould]]'s ''[[The Birds of Australia]]'' :
** Full text available from [[National Library of Australia]] in an electronic format at [http://nla.gov.au/nla.aus-f4773 http://nla.gov.au/nla.aus-f4773]
** B. z. semitorquatus [http://nla.gov.au/nla.aus-f4773-5-s43-e plate]
{{commonscat|Barnardius zonarius}}
[[Category:Broad-tailed parrots]]
[[Category:Genera of birds]]
[[Category:Platycercini]]
[[Category:Birds of South Australia]]
[[Category:Birds of Western Australia]]
[[es:Barnardius zonarius]]
[[fr:Perruche à collier jaune]]