Facts About Ground Parrot
The eastern ground parrot of Australia is one of only five ground-dwelling parrots in the world, the others being its closest relatives, the western ground parrot, the extremely rare night parrot, the somewhat closely related Antipodes parakeet, and the unrelated highly endangered kakapo from New Zealand.
The colouration of the three Pezoporus species and the kakapo is similar – yellowish green with darker barring, somewhat reminiscent of the head and back of the wild-type budgerigar. This is not an indication of a true relationship, however, but either adaptation to a particular lifestyle or a feature retained from ancestral parrots; probably the latter as barred plumage is found all over the family, from the tiny tiger parrots to female cockatiels.
When disturbed, a ground parrot flies swiftly just above the ground before dropping back into the vegetation. The presence of the bird is often only revealed by its characteristic dusk and dawn call, a clear whistling sequence of notes which rise in pitch before fading. It is silent in flight.
